New Zealand Voters Leave Government Formation Unclear for Weeks
A tight election result forces leaders to wait until late November for final seat counts before starting negotiations to form a government.
By Alina Campbell ·
New Zealanders will wait until November 27 to learn who will lead their country. The election held on Saturday failed to provide a clear winner for either the right or the left blocs. This outcome sets up a long period of negotiations to build a government with a very small majority. Final seat counts will be released next month, confirming the exact numbers each party holds in Parliament.
The vote marked a strong shift away from the two major parties that have dominated New Zealand politics for years. Voters gave more support to smaller parties on the ideological flanks. These minor parties now hold the power to demand specific policy changes from the larger groups in exchange for their support in forming a coalition.
A new group called Opportunity entered Parliament for the first time. Qiulae Wong, a 38-year-old business consultant, leads the party. She has said she can work with either the left or the right to form a government. Her party won seven seats, which is enough to block a simple path to power for both the National and Labour parties.
Christopher Luxon, who leads the center-right National party, currently holds a one-seat lead in the conservative bloc. He did not claim victory immediately after the count. Instead, he told reporters on Sunday that he would lead a caretaker government while the final votes were tallied. He urged people to take a break from politics for the next three weeks.
Electoral officials began counting nearly 400,000 special votes on Sunday. These ballots include votes from New Zealanders living abroad. The counting process is expected to take three weeks. Historically, these votes have added seats to left-wing parties, which could change the current balance of power.
National party won 29.21 percent of the preferred party vote. They secured 42 seats by winning local constituency races. Labour party won 29.36 percent of the party vote and currently holds 36 seats. Both major parties saw their support drop compared to previous elections. Several senior National party lawmakers, including the finance and defense ministers, will leave politics based on the current results.
Smaller parties on the left also gained ground. The Greens won 16 seats, and the Te Pāti Māori party won five. The conservative bloc currently holds 67 seats, which is one more than the 66 needed for a majority in the 131-seat Parliament. The left bloc holds 57 seats so far. If the final count shifts seats to the left, Labour leader Chris Hipkins would still likely need Wong’s support to form a government.
Luxon had previously ruled out negotiating with Wong. He avoided answering directly on Sunday whether his narrow lead had changed his mind. The total number of lawmakers is 131, a figure that can shift based on how seats are allocated. The final outcome will depend on the special vote count and the ability of leaders to agree on a coalition.
