PM Modi congratulates NZ PM Jacinda Ardern, says 'hope to strengthen bilateral relations'

Taking to Twitter, PM Modi congratulated the Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern for securing a second term in office following her landslide victory in the general elections. Terming her win a 'resounding victory', PM Narendra Modi recalled his meeting with Ardern from a year ago while adding that he is 'looking forward to working together'. On October 17, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern secured her second win after the opposition party conceded as it was trailing behind with 27 per cent votes while Labour Party acquired 48.9 per cent votes. 

Read | New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern's Labour Party Wins General Elections, Opposition Concedes

Collins congratulates Ardern

National Party leader Judith Collins contended the New Zealand general elections against Jacinda Ardern. After conceding, Collins congratulated the winner in a televised speech while adding that she has already called Ardern to extend the wishes while calling it an 'an outstanding result for the Labour Party'. New Zealand's Electoral Commission’s official website reported that of the 92.1 per cent votes taken into account, the Labour Party had already won 64 out of the total 120 parliamentary seats. 

Read | New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern Considers Coalition Despite Landslide Victory

Ardern 'will give everything to this job'

Before her win, Jacinda Ardern had stated that she will resign from the post of the leader of the centre-left Labour Party if she loses the poll. During the debate that was telecasted on TVNZ, Ardern stated that she 'gave everything' to her job as the Prime Minister of New Zealand while adding that never took her job for granted. She further asserted that no matter what crisis come her way, she will continue doing her best 'even if that means a huge sacrifice'. 

Read | PM Modi Congratulates Mohun Bagan On I-League Win As The Club Gets Trophy After 6 Months

More on Jacinda Ardern

At the age of 17 years, Ardern joined the Labour Party and worked as an advisor to the then-PM Helen Clark. In 2017 she became the 40th Prime Minister of New Zealand, nine years after becoming a lawmaker. In 2018, Jacinda Ardern became the second world leader to give birth while in office. She won praise from the international communities as well as from the citizens of New Zealand for the quick response and the way she handled the aftermath of the Christchurch mosque shootings in 2019 by introducing strict gun laws. Ardern also led a successful campaign to manage the COVID-19 pandemic and eliminated the spread of infection in New Zealand for the time being with strict lockdown restrictions and safety protocols. 

Read | SHOCKING: Twitter Shows India's Leh In 'Jammu-Kashmir, People's Republic Of China'

Read | New Zealand Election: Ardern Vs. Conservative Challenger

(With inputs from PTI & AP)