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Labor Party leader Ardern, 40, and National Party chief Judith Collins, 61, clashed in elections to form the country’s 53rd parliament, a referendum on Ardern’s three-year term.
Labor won 50.4% of the votes, compared to 25.8% for the opposition National Party with 20% of the votes counted, according to the Electoral Commission. Of the current partners in the Labor coalition, the First Nationalist Party of New Zealand had 2.3% and the Green Party 8.3%.
Labor had led by wide margins in opinion polls before the vote.
Polls had initially suggested that Ardern was on her way to forming an exclusively Labor government, the first absolute majority government since New Zealand adopted a proportional voting system in 1996. But more recent polls have indicated that she may need the support. Minor Greens continuum.
A Labor-Green coalition would be the first fully left-wing government in decades, a scenario that National’s Collins warned would mean more taxes and a hostile environment for business.
Ardern has pledged to raise taxes on the highest earners, while Collins promised short-term tax cuts, but they have otherwise shown few major differences in policy.
The prime minister received worldwide acclaim for her handling of a mass shooting last year by a white supremacist in Christchurch, with her inclusive mantra “be strong, be kind” and swift action to ban guns.
She polished that reputation this year with a “go hard, go early” approach to the novel coronavirus, which has eliminated the local spread of COVID-19 in the nation.
The election was delayed a month after new COVID-19 infections in Auckland, which led to a second shutdown in the country’s largest city.
While internationally known for promoting progressive causes such as women’s rights and social justice, at home Ardern faced criticism because her government failed to deliver on its promise to be transformative.
Life has returned to normal in New Zealand, but its borders are still closed, its tourism sector is bleeding, and economists predict a lasting recession after the harsh blockades.
The economy contracted at an annual rate of 12.2% in the second quarter, its steepest decline since the Great Depression. Debt is projected to rise to 56% of gross domestic product from less than 20% before the pandemic.
New Zealanders also voted in referenda on Saturday to legalize euthanasia and recreational marijuana, with the results to be announced on October 30. This latest vote could make New Zealand the third country in the world to allow the use and sale of cannabis by adults across the country. after Uruguay and Canada.
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