New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she will step down: 'It's time'

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced in an emotional press briefing that she will step down, saying "it's time."

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced in an emotional press briefing that she will step down, saying "it's time."

Ardern said Thursday she will not be seeking reelection this year and that her term will end by Feb. 7.

"This has been the most fulfilling 5 1/2 years of my life, but it has also had its challenges," Ardern said, citing crises from the COVID-19 pandemic to the deadliest mass shooting in New Zealand's History.

"But I'm not leaving because it was hard," she said. "I am leaving because with such a privilege comes responsibility -- the responsibility to know when you are the right person to lead, and also, when you are not."

Ardern said she had hoped she would have found a way to prepare for another term over the summer to lead on a "full tank," but that was not the case.

"I know what this job takes, and I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice," she said. "It's that simple."

Ardern became New Zealand's youngest female prime minister when she was sworn in in 2017 at the age of 37.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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