October 18, 2020 8:39:58 pm
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at a café in Auckland, New Zealand, on October 18 (Photo: AP)
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s Labor Party has won more than 49 percent of the vote in the general election. With 26.9 percent of the votes, the National Party ranks second.
What is the meaning of these election results?
Ardern’s party has won the majority, the Labor Party’s biggest victory in more than 50 years. This will also be the first time that a party will rule alone since New Zealand switched to the MMP (Mixed Members Proportional Representation) electoral system in 1996. With almost 50 percent of the vote, the party will get more than 61 votes. seats required for a parliamentary majority.
Who is Jacinda Ardern?
Ardern, who has been hailed for her “ compassionate ” leadership, became New Zealand’s 40th Prime Minister in 2017 and has been the leader of the Labor Party ever since. He was born in Hamilton and raised in rural areas, before attending the University of Waikato, where he studied communications in politics and public relations. Ardern joined the Labor Party at the age of 18 and entered New Zealand’s parliament in 2008.
She is one of the few prime ministers who gave birth while in office.
What are some of Ardern’s prominent policies?
During her political career, Ardern has been popular even outside of New Zealand for holding forward-thinking views on issues like migration and for speaking out about the rights of children, women, and the right of all New Zealanders to find meaningful work.
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Ardern’s tenure as prime minister saw the 2019 Christchurch shootings, where more than 49 were killed. She was praised for her handling of the attack, which was followed by immediate action to ban the weapons.
His campaign for the 2020 election was largely focused on his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. The country announced the end of community transmission in May, at a time when most developed countries were still dealing with the first wave of the virus. So far, the country, which has a population of around 5 million, has seen more than 2,000 COVID-19 cases and roughly 25 deaths.
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Ardern has also spoken about climate change. Last November, parliament passed the Zer-Carbon Act, committing New Zealand to zero carbon emissions by 2050 or earlier. “I absolutely believe and continue to defend the statement that climate change is the greatest challenge of our time,” Ardern told Parliament in November 2019.
Still, his critics are unhappy with Ardern for failing to deliver on some of his electoral promises, including pursuing policies that have had a significant impact on inequality and measures to reduce child poverty.
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