Not 'enough in the tank': New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern quits over burnout

New Zealand's leader Jacinda Ardern is quitting her job as prime minister because of professional burnout, the 42-year-old said Thursday. 

Ardern, who's been in the role since 2017, was elected at age 37, becoming, at that time, the youngest female leader of any government in the world. (Finland's Sanna Marin

is now the youngest serving prime minister in the world, at just 34 years old.) "I am not leaving because it was hard," Ardern said. "Had that been the case I

probably would have departed two months into the job. I am leaving because with such a privileged role, comes responsibility, the responsibility to know when you are the right

person to lead, and also, when you are not." Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning. "I know what this job takes, and

I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice," she told reporters in Napier, fighting back tears. ''It is that simple."  "I would be doing a

disservice to New Zealand to continue." Ardern said her years in office were "the most fulfilling" of her life. However, she noted that leading New Zealand

during years of "crisis" had been hard. "There's never really been a moment when it's ever felt like we were just governing."  Jacinda Ardern quits: What now?

She will remain in the job until February 7. Lawmakers from her center-left Labour Party will vote on a successor. If they can't reach agreement the vote will be opened

up to rank-and-file members of the party.