Asia | Jacindarella

A fairy-tale election result beckons for New Zealand’s prime minister

But the more popular she gets, the less transforming Jacinda Ardern becomes

Basking in a covid-free glow
|SYDNEY

JACINDA ARDERN’S staff ran into a problem after she declared New Zealand free of the coronavirus in June. It was impossible to keep the prime minister on schedule, they griped, because she was constantly mobbed by supporters. Patrons jumped up to applaud her when she went out for dinner. Passers-by hung out of car windows to yell their thanks. At the convention of her party, Labour, one eulogiser declared her “our nation’s saviour”.

This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Jacindarella”

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