New Zealand’s final election count means incoming premier Christopher Luxon needs broader support

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A final vote count Friday following a general election in New Zealand three weeks ago has changed the political equation for winner Christopher Luxon, whose conservative National Party will now need broader support to govern.

An election night count had given the National Party and the closely aligned libertarian ACT Party a slim overall majority. But the addition of 600,000 special votes Friday saw that majority evaporate, with the National Party losing two seats and opposition parties gaining three seats.

That means in order to command a majority, the National Party will now need the support of both ACT and the New Zealand First party, run by maverick 78-year-old lawmaker Winston Peters.

Luxon said the final result aligned with his expectations, and that talks with both partner parties were well advanced. He declined to say when he expected to finalize an agreement and a government.

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“I can’t give you a deadline, but I what I can tell you is there is goodwill and good faith among all three political party leaders to move through this process as constructively and quickly as possible,” Luxon said.

The leaders from the other parties said they could strike an agreement as soon as next week.

Outgoing Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, who decided he wouldn’t work with Peters, had already conceded to Luxon on election night.

Hipkins held the top job for just nine months. He took over from Jacinda Ardern, who unexpectedly stepped down in January, saying she no longer had “enough in the tank” to do the job justice. Ardern won the previous election in a landslide, but her popularity waned as people got tired of COVID-19 restrictions and inflation threatened the economy.

The final vote count could slow down or stop Luxon’s new government from implementing some of its plans, as it will need support from a broader range of lawmakers to pass bills. It will also give Peters more influence to get his own bills and plans considered.

Unlike in many other countries, New Zealand’s election officials don’t release a running tally of special votes, but rather wait to release them in a single batch. The special votes this year accounted for 21% of all votes. As in past elections, the special votes tended to favor liberal candidates, as they are often cast by younger voters outside their designated electorates.

New Zealand voters choose their lawmakers under a proportional system similar to that used in Germany. The final vote count gave National 38%, ACT 9% and New Zealand First 6%. On the other side of the aisle, the opposition Labour Party won 27%, the Green Party 12% and the Indigenous Māori Party 3%.

In one of the election’s closest results, the Labour Party managed to hold on to Ardern’s former seat of Mount Albert by just 20 votes, down from Ardern’s victory margin of more than 20,000 votes at the previous election. Luxon said the party would likely seek a recount in Mount Albert and one or two other close seats.