Sexual assault claim against party tests New Zealand leader

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is facing a difficult test of her leadership after her party president resigned over the party’s handling of a sexual assault complaint.

Labour Party President Nigel Haworth’s resignation Wednesday comes after a 19-year-old party volunteer told online site The Spinoff that last year she was pinned down and violently sexually assaulted by a party staffer.

The woman said she later met with Haworth at a library and told him about the alleged assault and also told a panel investigating claims against the man. But Haworth said she never told him or the panel about the alleged assault.

Ardern said she apologized on behalf of the party to the woman and other complainants who had gone through a process “I believe has caused them harm.”