The conservative alliance won the legislative elections held today in New Zealand, which could mark the return to power of the National Party, after six years of Labor Party government.
With 97% of the votes counted, the National Party and its coalition partner ACT won 61 seats, enough to secure a majority in a 120-seat parliament.
This is a radical change with respect to the 2020 elections, in which the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, swept the leadership of the Labor Party, who resigned last January and was replaced by Chris Hipkins.
“With the current numbers, it looks like the National Party and ACT will be in a position to form the next government,” said conservative Christopher Luxon, who heads the National Party, the AFP news agency reported.
Luxon, 53, who spent seven years as chief executive of Air New Zealand, stressed that New Zealanders had “voted for change”.
For his part, the outgoing prime minister, Hipkins, stated that “he is not in a position to form a government” and congratulated his rival, Luxon.
“Tonight’s result is not what any of us wanted, but I want you to be proud of what we have achieved over the last six years,” declared the Labor Party.
The election campaign was dominated by the increasingly difficult economic situation and the rising cost of living.
In its first 100 days in office, the National Party plans a crackdown on youth crime, a ban on mobile phones in schools and scrapping the Labor government’s fuel tax rises.
“New Zealanders are going to wake up not only to a new day, but with the promise of a new government and a new direction,” said Luxon, who stressed that he will lead the country back on the “right path” and promised measures to reduce tax pressure and boost the economy.
Both Luxon and Hipkins had tried to appeal to voters with promises to reduce the high price of gasoline, fix the chronic housing shortage and stop the skyrocketing cost of basic foodstuffs.
“We will reduce the cost of living. We will restore law and order. We will provide better health care and educate our children so they can grow up and live the lives they dream of,” Luxon stressed.
The Labor Party, which won a resounding victory in 2020 under Ardern, was aiming for a heavy defeat this time around.
“Following my good friend Jacinda, it was not going to be an easy task,” Hipkins admitted.
“I knew when I took this job that it was going to be an uphill battle,” he concluded.
More than 3.8 million New Zealanders voted today at more than 2,300 polling stations across the country between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m., although nearly 1 million had already done so in advance.
Source: Ambito
