Jacinda Ardern’s elevation to leader of the Labour Party today will boost confidence and shore up morale, a local candidate says.
The dramatic turn of events this morning saw Andrew Little quit as leader.
The Times contacted Tofik Mamedov, Labour candidate for Botany, on the party leader stepping down just six-and-a-half weeks before elections.
“All of us are quite upset with Andrew Little stepping down, me included,” says Mr Mamedov.
“I know it was not an easy decision and he had no choice but to resign. I understand where he is coming from.
“No one liked it but the way things were going, the focus had shifted from Labour policies
on transport, housing and education. Instead the focus was just on Andrew Little not faring well at the polls.”
However he says that on the positive side, the party is excited to have Jacinda Arden as leader of the Labour Party and Kelvin Davis as deputy leader.
“The morale of the party went up 100 per cent. I was just listening to her 2pm speech in Parliament and she was great.
“I have been getting so many texts from Chinese groups and people who have never communicated with me before on Facebook.
“We’ve also had new people saying they would like to help the team. And we could do with all the help that people offer.
“Now we just have to take care of the logistics like the party billboards that will have to be changed. They should arrive this week or next.”
