New Zealand election too close to call after vote count
New Zealand's general election on 7 Nov produced no clear winner. Preliminary results show the National Party and Labour each on about 29 per cent, separated by only a few thousand votes. National, ACT and NZ First are set to hold 67 seats, a wafer-thin majority in the 120-seat parliament. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he will run a caretaker government until final results are tallied on 27 Nov, with hundreds of thousands of special votes still to count. The campaign centred on the cost of living and an economy in which unemployment is at its highest in over a decade.
Key facts
- Special votes will be counted over the next three weeks, with final results expected on 27 Nov.
- Labour leader Chris Hipkins said the next parliament will require compromise and common ground.
- The Opportunity Party, led by Qiulae Wong, must pass a 5% threshold to win seats and could hold the balance of power.
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Why it matters
The final seat count depends on special votes, which will determine who forms the next government.
What changed
First published from South China Morning Post, ABC News (Australia), The Conversation, Bangkok Post and Al Jazeera English