New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced early Monday that the country’s general election will be delayed until October, citing concerns about a rebellious coronavirus.
The postponement of the elections on 19 September to 17 October comes despite New Zealand being one of the most successful countries to curb the pandemic.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern responds to a press conference in Wellington, New Zealand on Friday 14 August 2020.
(New Zealand Herald via AP)
Ardern insists she would not move the election date again.
“I have no intention at all of changing at this point,” Ardern said.
The country had gone 102 days without infections spreading in the community until early last week when a cluster was discovered in Auckland. The outbreak has since grown to 30 people and spread outside the city. The only known cases were travelers in quarantine upon arrival from abroad.
On Friday, the government extended a lockdown of Auckland for another 12 days as it once tried to stem the virus.
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As of Monday, New Zealand had announced 69 active cases with 13 new infections on Sunday, the ABC of Australia reported.
Health authorities believe the virus needs to be reintroduced from abroad, but genome tests have found no link with any of the quarantine travelers. That prompted authorities to investigate whether shipping workers were a source after several employees at a food shelter became infected.
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All new cases in the outbreak seem to be linked through family or work connections. The only known infections outside Auckland are two people in the central city of North Island Tokoroa who were visited by infected family members from Auckland.
By law of New Zealand, the Prime Minister may delay an election by a maximum of two months. Opinion polls suggest Ardern’s Labor Party is a favorite to win a second term.
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The situation has made comparison with the US as it approaches a general election. Last month, President Trump suggested that the 2020 election be delayed over concerns about the security of post-ballot papers, but the idea ran back to rapid backwardness.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
