New Zealand has postponed its general election for four weeks over concerns about coronavirus – despite only 58 active cases in the community.
The country of 5 million people – who are praised for its handling of the virus – went 102 days without locally transmitted cases, only to see a new fresh outbreak last week.
The election was scheduled for September 19, but on Monday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that she would delay it until October 17. This year, New Zealand will also hold two referendums in addition to its election: on legalizing euthanasia, and on legalizing cannabis for recreational use.
Several developed countries have made progress with their elections during the pandemic, including South Korea, which even saw its worst result in nearly 30 years during its parliamentary elections in April.
Why was the election postponed? Ardern said she wanted to postpone the vote to give the election commission time to prepare them – and give parties time to campaign.
New Zealand’s most populous city, Auckland, is currently under lockdown, which means that all candidates based there will not be able to campaign as usual.
Most people in New Zealand have to vote in specific locations, although they can apply to vote by mail. Voting is open two weeks before Election Day, so not everyone has to vote on the same day.
Ardern said Monday that she would not change the election date again.
Will this help Ardern’s chances? According to polls, the Labor Party of Ardern is on course to win the election – and is well ahead of the main opposition National Party.
The delay will give their opponents more time to try to win support. But, if the interviews are anything to do, they have a lot of reason to do so.
Has there been any pushback? Not really. Other parties pushed for the election to be delayed, and following Ardern’s announcement, several parties awaited the decision.
“The most important thing is: we can not have fair elections without public meetings, two referendums are being voted on, people who are not able to translate their views without actually being able to have those public meetings,” Judith said. Collins, leader of the National Party, in an interview with national broadcaster Radio New Zealand.
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