New Zealand has voted: Close race between Conservatives and Social Democrats

dpa | After the general election in New Zealand, as expected, there is an extremely close race between the conservative ruling National Party and the social democratic Labor Party. According to initial results, forming a government could be difficult for both Prime Minister Christopher Luxon (56) and his challenger and predecessor Chris Hipkins (48).

Around 3.8 million people were called to the polls, and the polling stations closed at 7:00 p.m. local time (07:00 a.m. CET). The counting began immediately afterwards. For a government majority, at least 61 seats are required in the 120-seat parliament. The vote was overshadowed by sometimes violent storms. The metropolis of Auckland on the North Island was particularly affected.

The population of the Pacific country is currently suffering primarily from the high cost of living, inflation and rising gasoline prices as a result of the conflict in the Middle East. Luxon's government is under pressure. Possible relief for households dominated the election campaign.

Surveys had already shown that both major parties could fall below the 30 percent mark. Smaller political forces are likely to play a key role. Weeks of coalition negotiations could be imminent.

In addition, hundreds of thousands of so-called special votes will be counted in the coming weeks. This includes, among other things, votes from New Zealanders abroad and from voters who voted outside their actual constituency. The final result is expected on November 27th.

Luxon's National Party has led a coalition with the right-wing liberal ACT Party and the populist New Zealand First since 2023 and is hoping for a second term. He also ran against Labor leader Hipkins at the last election. Since then, the media has been talking about the “duel of the two Chrises” with regard to the same first name.