New Zealand Election Too Close to Call: 1.25 Million Early Votes, Opportunity Party Poised as Kingmaker
New Zealand holds its general election on November 7, with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's National-led coalition seeking a second term and Labour leader Chris Hipkins trying to return to the job he lost in 2023. Making final appeals on November 5, Luxon told reporters in Hawke's Bay the election would likely go down to the wire.
Polls this week show no clear majority for either bloc. The final 1News-Verian poll put National on 30 percent and Labour on 29 percent, modelling the coalition at 58 seats, three short of a majority, with the centrist Opportunity Party's seven seats holding the balance. Early voting began on October 26, and 1,250,057 votes had been cast by Tuesday, up from 1,007,928 at the same point in 2023, according to Electoral Commission data.
An Ipsos survey found inflation and the cost of living are voters' biggest concerns, followed by healthcare. Under proportional representation, commentators expect coalition talks could take weeks; the final count is due on November 27.
(Source: Electoral Commission, New Zealand)
Source: Electoral Commission, New Zealand
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
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