Jacinda Ardern ascends to second term amid relief in New Zealand after landslide elections | World News



[ad_1]

Jacinda Ardern has offered the possibility of forming a coalition government despite achieving a historic electoral victory that will allow her Labor party to rule alone.

New Zealanders expressed relief Sunday at his re-election, after a campaign that many felt long and tiring. Ardern’s party won the highest percentage of the vote in more than five decades, claiming 64 seats in parliament, and his handling of the Covid-19 crisis was deemed decisive for his victory.

Leaders from around the world, from Boris Johnson to the Dalai Lama, congratulated her on her compassion and action on climate change.

When Ardern returned directly to work, meeting his top MPs for coffee, tens of thousands of New Zealanders headed to Eden Park in Auckland to watch the second Bledisloe Cup, further highlighting the country’s many freedoms and freedoms at a time when that cases in Europe and the US are skyrocketing, and blockades are back in place. However, a new local Covid case emerged in Auckland on Sunday, halting the nation’s three-week streak.

But on Sunday, the prime minister said it would take two to three weeks to formally form a government, after talks with potential coalition partners. Ardern said that he had informed the governor general that he would soon be in a position to form a government.

“We will be moving very quickly with our agenda, we clearly have a mandate from New Zealand,” Ardern said. “I’ve been a consensus builder, but I also need to work with the strong mandate that Labor has been given.”

Ardern said new talents entering the Labor group included GPs, a midwife and an infectious disease expert, which would inform his decision on who would take over the crucial health portfolio.


New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern condemns divisive elections in victory speech – video

Her opponent, National party leader Judith Collins, said Sunday morning that she would continue as party leader, but it remains to be seen whether her group will back her after such a resounding defeat.

Ardern will be in contact with many untested Labor candidates who have been voted in, including a former music teacher and church leader in Hamilton, a midwife in Christchurch, and a long-term foster mother and youth advocate in New Plymouth.

Green Party co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson have confirmed that they spoke with Ardern. The party won 10 seats in parliament, two more than in previous elections, and hopes to be invited to join their government, pushing it further to the left.

While Labor could rule alone, Shaw is confident that the Greens will be included to draw on the specific expertise of their ministers, to bolster the majority of the new government and build their partnership for the future, and an even more progressive government in the future. future.

“We want to win again in 2023,” Shaw told The Guardian. “We are stronger at the end of our first term in office than at the beginning,” Shaw said. “We defy the odds. We made history. “

Green supporter Suzanne Kendrick said the new government was full of “young, vibrant and interesting people.” “It’s time to let the middle-aged people trying to hold onto the past,” Kendrick said, a statement that Ardern also laid at Collins ‘feet during the leaders’ debates. “And it is a victory for the whole world, for liberal democracy, for those who believe in that type of government and also in the environment.”

Ardern’s victory was acclaimed around the world, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted that he looked forward to working with her on “climate change issues.”

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he and Ardern shared a vision for “an inclusive, fairer and greener future.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he looked forward to working with Ardern “fighting climate change, empowering women and girls around the world, [and] guarantee an equitable distribution of vaccines ”.

Matt haig
(@ matthaig1)

New Zealand shows that you don’t just expect a better world. You vote for it.


October 17, 2020

The Dalai Lama also sent warm words of praise and congratulations. “I admire courage, wisdom and leadership [of Jacinda Ardern], in addition to calm, compassion and respect for others, has shown in these difficult times. “

Thomas mead
(@thomasmeadnz)

Some unexpected comments on the New Zealand elections: https://t.co/pA1A3lNze1


October 17, 2020

“Science and clear communication around Covid-19 have won the day for Trumpery and fake news; people have clearly seen how the government took care of us, ”said Christine, a Labor supporter.

“I think people are really grateful for the way Jacinda has handled Covid; she is leading the world. We can live our lives normally with very few restrictions, it’s just a blessing. “

But political experts in New Zealand say the Labor leader faces one of the toughest terms of leadership in modern history, and expectations are now so high that it will be difficult for her not to disappoint voters.

The party is also full of inexperienced new MPs, with only a handful of veterans available to manage the important portfolios.

In September, New Zealand officially entered a recession, as a result of multiple blockades and closed borders. The tourism, construction and horticulture industries have taken significant hits, and poverty and benefit numbers are increasing, with the waiting list for state housing at record levels.

Writing for The Guardian, Claire Robinson says the pressure to deliver is high and, after promising transformative change in her first term, Ardern must now achieve it.

Peter Wilson, an economist, said voters will need more from Ardern than Covid action. Voters have thanked Ardern for keeping the country safe from Covid-19. They won’t do it again, ”he said. “The next three years will be about economic recovery and how the government is tackling it, a very different challenge and possibly a more difficult one.

Multiple observers have suggested that while Ardern is a darling of the progressive left, his second term will not be defined by the dramatic change he promised.

The new government will have a lot on its plate, but don’t expect bold and large-scale changes, ”writes economist Shambueel Eaqab. “Jacinda Ardern as Prime Minister has been a pragmatic and centrist leader. Quick and bold to act in crisis, but wary of large-scale disruptions. “



[ad_2]