Image copyright AFP Image caption Jacinda Ardern will now become the first woman to lead the New Zealand Labour Party
The New Zealand opposition leader Jacinda Ardern has been ousted from her post after one month in the role.
The deputy-leader, Grant Robertson, has been elected to replace Ms Ardern by a vote of 37 to 24.
Some of Ms Ardern’s MPs wanted her to stay on as leader until September to give time for her to build a personal base, a spokesman for the Labour Party said.
Ms Ardern, the first female leader of a major political party in New Zealand, said she would stand down after thanking her supporters.
“I think it’s very clear the people have chosen to move on and we owe it to the electorate to do that so the leadership can be settled sooner rather than later,” she said.
“It’s a tough time for me personally, so I can see why the whip was called. But I’ll walk away knowing I’ve left things better than I found them.”
Read more: Jacinda Ardern’s political journey
Donations to Ms Ardern’s campaign had fallen considerably in the past month, raising doubts about whether she could ensure their remaining financial support.
She previously won one leadership contest despite being behind in the polls by more than 17 points.
It has not yet been revealed whether Ms Ardern will lead the party in the September election. The party will meet on Sunday to decide the leadership position.
Mr Robertson said he would “reevaluate” the timescale for the next election, and said that Ms Ardern’s support was “high” if there was another election “before the end of this parliamentary term”.
Mr Robertson and Ms Ardern came from a group of young MPs, and both previously served as ministers in the government of a previous Labour prime minister.
Ms Ardern, who previously said she would bring “joy” to New Zealand and that she would “stir things up”, was also facing growing fatigue after taking on the role of opposition leader.
Her low opinion poll ratings and falling donations – she came in third place in a televised debate in the lead-up to the election – also contributed to her demise.
Read more: Coverage of Jacinda Ardern’s rise to power
Ms Ardern – who has only been pregnant for seven weeks – has described pregnancy as one of the highlights of her political career.
She became Labour leader just a few days after winning the leadership contest, in which she took on her predecessor, Andrew Little.