With more than 80 per cent of the votes counted, New Zealand’s election produced no definitive victory for the right or the left on Saturday but the incumbent conservative Government hovered on the brink of a wafer-thin majority that could allow it to eke out a precarious return to power.
Christopher Luxon’s National party and its minor party coalition partners, libertarian ACT and populist NZ First, were getting close to the slimmest possible return — by just one seat. It suggested that securing a second term could take lengthy negotiations and would rely on votes counted after election day, which have historically skewed left. The leftwing bloc, led by the Labour party and Chris Hipkins, appeared to have fallen short of a majority. As New Zealand’s Electoral Commission unveiled the counts, it became clear the night would likely end without certainty about who would form the next Government.
Arriving at Labour headquarters in Upper Hutt, outside of Wellington, a smiling Hipkins didn’t concede defeat. “Tonight, New Zealand has spoken,” Hipkins told supporters. “It may take us a little bit longer to figure out exactly what it is that you’ve said.” Still, the unclear outcome was punishing for both National and Labour, the major political parties that have long dominated New Zealand politics. The two were neck and neck, both recording under 30 per cent of the vote - underscoring opinion polls before election day that showed little public enthusiasm for either party.
Voters instead bolstered power for minor parties on the ideological flanks, and propelled to office a centrist political newcomer, Qiulae Wong of the Opportunity party, who has pledged a non-partisan and pragmatic agenda that draws from socially liberal, technocratic and pro-environment ideals.