(CNN) Jacinda Ardern found out she would be New Zealand's next Prime Minister watching TV. The Labour leader was on tenterhooks Thursday along with the rest of the country as NZ First leader Winston Peters revealed whether he would back her party or the incumbent Nationals. "I enjoyed the theater of it," she said following Peters' announcement. "I joined with New Zealand as we learned the news together." Peters said he thought the public deserved to know first, adding a final twist to an election campaign already rife with drama. The 37-year-old Ardern took over Labour after then leader Andrew Little stepped aside at the start of the election campaign, when the party was struggling in the polls.Jacinda Ardern will be New Zealand's third female prime ministerHer party surged in the polls after she became leader, winning enough votes to form a minority coalition
When she was first elected, _ was the country's youngest sitting MP, and rose quickly through the party, becoming deputy leader in March this year.