By Recep Sakar
MELBOURNE (AA) – Prime Minister John Key said "it was time to move on" and announced his resignation Monday after eight years in office.
Key said he would support whoever leads his party and added: "I don’t feel comfortable looking down the barrel of the camera and not being honest,” while speaking at parliament. “On a family basis, I don’t think I could commit much longer than the next election."
Key said it was a hard decision and he gave everything he had. "I had nothing left in the tank."
Labor party leader Andrew Little reacted on Twitter to the prime minister’s announcement.
"John Key has served New Zealand generously and with dedication. I wish him and his family the best for the future," he said.
As New Zealand National Party Chairman, Key won the general elections in November 2008, becoming the country’s 38th prime minister.
The National Party is expected to hold an election Dec. 12 to find its new chairman. Deputy Prime Minister Bill English has instantly rose to the top of the list of possible successors.
The next general election in New Zealand will take place before next November.
Key was Born was 1961 in Auckland and is married with two children.