New Zealand Ruling Coalition Holds Narrow Parliamentary Majority
(MENAFN) New Zealand’s governing coalition has secured a slim parliamentary majority in the general election, but the final result remains uncertain pending the counting of special votes, according to reports on Sunday.
The National-led alliance won 67 of the 131 parliamentary seats, giving it a narrow advantage and putting it in a position to serve another three-year term in government.
Meanwhile, the opposition bloc, made up of the Labour Party, the Green Party and the Maori Party, secured 57 seats.
Although the current figures indicate that the ruling coalition could retain power, the counting of special votes, which tend to favor left-leaning parties, could still affect the final outcome.
A minimum of 66 seats is required for a party or coalition to command a parliamentary majority. Around 700,000 special ballots remain to be counted, including votes submitted by New Zealanders living overseas and those cast outside voters’ designated electorates. These ballots were excluded from the preliminary results.
The Election Commission is expected to publish the final official results, incorporating the special votes, on Nov. 27.
The election race between the National Party and Labour Party was particularly close, with both receiving more than 29% of the vote.
The commission’s count across all polling stations also identified 11 "overhang" seats, raising the size of Parliament from 120 to 131 members.
Speaking to supporters in Auckland, former Prime Minister and National Party leader Christophe Luxon described the election as "too close to call," noting that the final result would depend on the outstanding special votes.
He added that "negotiations and compromise" would be necessary to establish the next government.
New Zealand has approximately 3.8 million registered voters.
The country follows a mixed-member proportional electoral system, under which voters cast separate ballots for a political party and a candidate representing their local electorate. The system commonly leads to governments being formed through alliances between two or more parliamentary parties.
The National-led alliance won 67 of the 131 parliamentary seats, giving it a narrow advantage and putting it in a position to serve another three-year term in government.
Meanwhile, the opposition bloc, made up of the Labour Party, the Green Party and the Maori Party, secured 57 seats.
Although the current figures indicate that the ruling coalition could retain power, the counting of special votes, which tend to favor left-leaning parties, could still affect the final outcome.
A minimum of 66 seats is required for a party or coalition to command a parliamentary majority. Around 700,000 special ballots remain to be counted, including votes submitted by New Zealanders living overseas and those cast outside voters’ designated electorates. These ballots were excluded from the preliminary results.
The Election Commission is expected to publish the final official results, incorporating the special votes, on Nov. 27.
The election race between the National Party and Labour Party was particularly close, with both receiving more than 29% of the vote.
The commission’s count across all polling stations also identified 11 "overhang" seats, raising the size of Parliament from 120 to 131 members.
Speaking to supporters in Auckland, former Prime Minister and National Party leader Christophe Luxon described the election as "too close to call," noting that the final result would depend on the outstanding special votes.
He added that "negotiations and compromise" would be necessary to establish the next government.
New Zealand has approximately 3.8 million registered voters.
The country follows a mixed-member proportional electoral system, under which voters cast separate ballots for a political party and a candidate representing their local electorate. The system commonly leads to governments being formed through alliances between two or more parliamentary parties.
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