PM Jacinda Ardern Wins New Zealand General Election In Landslide Victory, Secures Second Term At Office

Soon after bagging a landslide victory, Prime Minister Ardern said that she will use this mandate to rebuild country's economy which took a severe toll due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks at the Labour Election Day party after the Labour Party won New Zealand's general election. (Image: AFP)

Wellington: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Saturday swept to gigantic victory in the country's general elections held earlier in the day, securing her a second term in office. With most ballots tallied, Ardern's ruling Labour Party won 49 per cent of the vote and is projected to win 64 seats - enough for an outright majority, which will be a first in the country since it introduced a voting system known as Mixed Member Proportional representation (MMP) in 1996. As per the Election Commission of New Zealand, the opposition centre-right National Party, currently on 27 per cent, has admitted defeat in the general elections. The ACT New Zealand and Green parties came in third with 8 per cent of the votes. Soon after bagging a landslide victory, Prime Minister Ardern said that she will use this mandate to rebuild country's economy which took a severe toll due to the Covid-19 outbreak. She also vowed to work towards tackling social inequality in the country. Addressing her supporters following the results, Ardern also said, "New Zealand has shown the Labour Party its greatest support in almost 50 years. "We will not take your support for granted. And I can promise you we will be a party that governs for every New Zealander." After conceding, National Party's leader Judith Collins congratulated Ardern and promised her party would be a "robust opposition", adding "we will be back". Saturday's election was initially scheduled for September 19 but was postponed due to a second Covid-19 outbreak. The previous Parliament, which was elected on September 23, 2017, was officially dissolved on September 6 paving the way for the polls, Xinhua news agency. Polling stations across the country opened at 9 a.m. and closed at 7 p.m. More than a million people have already voted in early polling which opened on October 3. Besides the general election vote, New Zealanders also cast their ballots for two referendums on end of life choice and legalisation of the recreational use of cannabis. Preliminary referendum results will be released on October 30, and the official results of the election and referendums will be released on November 6.