A political shift is underway in New Zealand as the centre-right National Party, led by Christopher Luxon, is poised to form a new government in coalition with its preferred partner, Association of Consumers and Taxpayers (ACT), after the incumbent Labour leader, Chris Hipkins, acknowledged that he was unable to assemble a government following the recent general election. The National Party secured 40% of the vote, while the ACT party garnered 9%, as per the latest Electoral Commission data cited by news agency Reuters.
This combined support is expected to provide the two parties with the necessary seats to establish a government.
"As the numbers stand, Labour is not in a position to form a government," conceded Hipkins, as quoted by Reuters. He further revealed that he had reached out to Christopher Luxon earlier to acknowledge the defeat.
Labour, the outgoing ruling party, currently holds 26% of the vote, as per Reuters' report.
It should be noted that the National-ACT majority, while substantial, could potentially require additional support from the populist party New Zealand First to form a government, given the narrow margin, the report mentioned.
New Zealand's parliamentary structure typically comprises 120 seats. However, in a unique electoral scenario, the Maori Party secured four constituency seats, exceeding its share of the national popular vote. Consequently, the electoral system mandates the creation of additional proportional seats to ensure equitable representation, thereby altering the final seat count.
Political commentator and former National Party staffer, Ben Thomas, observed that the outcome for the core centre-right coalition was more robust than the polls had indicated in the final weeks of the campaign. "The predominant factor driving this outcome was public dissatisfaction with the existing government," noted Thomas, as per Reuters.
Under the leadership of former leader Jacinda Ardern, Labour secured an outright majority in 2020, marking the first time a party achieved this since New Zealand transitioned to a mixed-member proportional system in 1996. However, Labour's support has dwindled since then, with many New Zealanders expressing discontent over the nation's prolonged COVID-19 lockdown and the increasing cost of living.
In an attempt to reconnect with these dissatisfied voters, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins directed his focus toward what he termed "bread-and-butter issues." Nevertheless, this approach failed to gain significant traction in the polls, the report stated.