- Final results from New Zealand’s October 14 election show that the National Party needs support from ACT New Zealand and NZ First to form a government.
- The National Party led by Christopher Luxon secured 48 seats, ACT won 11 seats, resulting in a combined total of 59 seats out of 122 in the parliament. That was short of the 62 seats needed to govern
- New Zealand First party’s – led by Winston Peters – has eight seats and would provide the necessary majority for these three parties to form a coalition government.
- Although the Labour Party conceded defeat in the election, right-wing parties are awaiting the final vote count to confirm coalition agreements and establish the new government.
- The number of parliamentary seats has increased from 121 to 122, with Te Pati Maori winning more electorate seats.
- The final vote includes approximately 603,000 special votes, representing about 21% of the total, including overseas voters and those who cast ballots outside their constituency, which were not initially counted.
Other details:
- The final vote count may hinder Luxon’s new government from implementing its plans.
- Support from a broader range of lawmakers will be needed to pass bills.
- Peters will gain more influence to push his own bills and plans.
New Zealand doesn’t release special votes in real-time but waits to release them in a single batch. Special votes accounted for 21% of all votes and tend to favor liberal candidates. New Zealand uses a proportional voting system similar to Germany. Of the votes, the National received 38%, ACT 9%, and New Zealand First 6% of the vote.
The opposition includes Labour Party at 27%, Green Party at 12%, and Indigenous Māori Party at 3%.