Voting closed on Saturday after polls opened for the final day, with early results leaving New Zealand without a clear winner for government formation.
The Story
Polling places opened in New Zealand on Saturday for the final day of voting in the country’s election, with results expected to be released later in the evening.
The election began on Oct. 26 and was expected to include nearly 3.8 million eligible voters; results from 95% of ballots cast were expected by the end of Saturday night.
Early counts showed no definitive victory for either the right or the left, with the incumbent conservative government hovering on the brink of a wafer-thin majority that could allow it to return to power depending on later counts and coalition negotiations.
Christopher Luxon’s National Party and its minor-party coalition partners, ACT and NZ First, were close to returning with just one-seat advantage based on emerging totals, while Labour and its bloc appeared to have fallen short of a majority.
After midnight, Luxon did not claim victory, saying National “is once again the largest party in Parliament” but that “it is too close to call.”
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