Wellington, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has delayed New Zealand’s elections by four weeks due to the coronavirus broke out in Auckland.
The election was scheduled for Sept. 19, but will now be held on Oct. 17.
Before the last outbreak, New Zealand had gone 102 days without any known communication transmission of the virus, and life was back to normal for most people, with restaurants and schools open and sports fans back in stadiums. The only known cases at that time were returning travelers who were quarantined at the border.
Officials believe the virus was introduced from abroad to New Zealand, but have not yet determined how. The outbreak in the nation’s largest city has grown to 58 infections, all thought to be linked, prompting health officials to hope the virus does not spread outside the cluster.
Mark Mitchell / New Zealand Herald via AP
Ardern had the option to delay the election by up to about two months. She said she had represented the leaders of all political parties in parliament to get her views before making her decision on Monday.
“Ultimately, I want to make sure we have a well-conducted election that gives all voters the best chance of getting all the information they need about parties and candidates, and provides certainty for the future,” Ardern said.
She said she would not watch the election again – despite what happened to possible virus outbreaks.
“COVID continues to disrupt life around the world,” Ardern said. However, other nations, including South Korea and Singapore, had managed to hold elections during the pandemic, she added.
Ardern also announced that lawmakers would be recalled to parliament, which was ready for the election. Parliament will now continue with September.
Conservative opposition leader Judith Collins did not give much of an opinion on the delay, saying only that her National Party “recognizes the new date”, while also saying that there were failures at the border tests.
But the small opposition party ACT party welcomed the delay. Leader David Seymour said the new outbreak had already forced him to cancel a dozen events, including debates and community meetings
“To have a free and fair election, candidates must be out in the community to listen to voters, and that is not possible while Aucklanders are homebound,” he said in a statement.
The delay will cause logistical problems, including re-electing polling stations and ensuring that the thousands of election workers needed for the poll are available on the new date. Ardern said she believed there was enough time to organize everything.
Opinion poll indicates that Ardern’s Liberal Labor Party is in favor of winning a second term in office. The party’s popularity has skyrocketed since the pandemic, with Ardern gaining international praise for the way it handled the crisis.
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