Parliamentary election in New Zealand: Governing party and Labor almost on par

In New Zealand's general election, the two largest parties are almost tied after all votes have been counted. According to preliminary results from the electoral authority, both the right-wing National Party of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and the left-wing Labor Party have around 29 percent each. The National Party is therefore only a few thousand votes ahead of Labor.

In view of the close election outcome, the incumbent Prime Minister Luxon and opposition leader Chris Hipkins were decidedly cautious in their initial reactions. “The National Party is once again the strongest force in parliament and we have the chance to form the next government,” said the Prime Minister. And the Labor leader commented on the head-to-head performance by saying:

One thing is certain: Neither party has enough of a majority on its own; both rely on alliance partners in order to govern. After the last general election three years ago, Luxon forged an alliance with the populist New Zealand First party and the libertarian ACT. According to preliminary results, together with these two partners, the government alliance has 67 of the total 130 seats in parliament. So it would just be enough for the current government coalition to continue.

Labor under opposition leader Chris Hipkins would have 35 seats. Hipkins is hoping for the support of the Greens, who have 16 seats, and the Te Pati Maori party, the political representative of the indigenous Maori minority. It is expected to be represented in parliament by five members.

But there is another option when looking for a political partner: the liberal Opportunity Party, which made it past the five percent hurdle and is expected to be represented in parliament with seven seats in the future. In the run-up to the election, party leader Qiulae Wong had signaled a willingness to work with both the National Party and Labor. However, Luxon had ruled out cooperation.