Labor Party unanimously confirms Chris Hipkins as New Zealand's new Prime Minister

MADRID, 22 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The New Zealand Labor Party has confirmed Chris Hipkins as the new prime minister of the oceanic country after holding the formal vote held this Sunday.

Chris Hipkins has received the unanimous support of the 64 deputies from his party and will be able to officially swear in his position on January 25 to succeed the still Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

"I take this position at a difficult time for New Zealanders," Hipkins said at a press conference in Wellington after his party's vote. "Covid-19 and the global pandemic created a health crisis, and now they have created an economic one, and that is where my government will focus," he added.

"We will focus on the present and on the basic issues that concern people," said the Labor leader. "I know that people are worried about paying the purchase bill and the mortgage. I want them to know that we are on their side," Hipkins said in statements collected by the newspaper 'The Guardian'.

In addition, Chris Hipkins has mentioned his partner Ardern, whose leadership he has defined as an "inspiration for women and girls around the world" and has condemned the misogynistic attacks suffered by the prime minister.

"It has also been (her tenure) a reminder that we have a long way to go to ensure that women in leadership positions receive the same respect as their male counterparts," she said.

"The way Jacinda has been treated, particularly by some segments of our society - and they are a small minority - has been totally abhorrent," Hipkins said.

In addition, the one who will be the new prime minister has appealed emphatically to the "responsibility to raise their voices" that men have to denounce this type of situation.