New Zealand Parliament Dissolved as Campaign Begins for 7 November Election
New Zealand's 54th Parliament was formally dissolved on 1 October 2026, ending the three-year term that began after the October 2023 election and starting the formal process toward the general election on 7 November. Reuters reported that Parliament held its final sitting on 23 September, and the Governor-General was scheduled to issue the writ on 4 October directing the Electoral Commission to conduct the poll.
New Zealand uses the Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system, under which voters cast an electorate vote and a party vote for a parliament that normally has 120 seats. The system has made coalition governments the norm, giving smaller parties a significant role in determining who governs. The governing National Party, led by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, is in coalition with ACT and New Zealand First; Labour is the largest opposition party.
A 1News-Verian poll released this week, cited by Reuters, suggested a Labour-led left bloc could win 65 seats, enough to form a government, against 59 for the incumbent National, ACT and New Zealand First bloc. Campaigning is expected to focus on the cost of living, economic management and public services, and the centrist Opportunity Party has been identified in some polls as a possible kingmaker.
Overseas voting begins on 21 October and advance voting in New Zealand opens on 26 October, with official results scheduled for 27 November. Over the next five weeks the parties will campaign nationwide, and the polls and minor-party performances will decide the shape of the next government.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 惠灵顿国会蜂巢大楼。摄影：Michal Klajban，CC BY-SA 4.0，来源：Wikimedia Commons
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