New Zealand's Ardern to create government within 3 weeks after a historic election win
18 October, 2020
After a thumping election win, New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Sunday (Oct 18) that she'd form a government within three weeks but declined to say whether she'd rule alone or form a coalition.
Ardern on Saturday delivered the largest election victory for her center-left Labour Party in half a hundred years. Her new majority in parliament allows her to form the first single-party government since New Zealand adopted a proportional voting system in 1996.
"Whilst you will have another three weeks before we have that end result, my expectation is that people will work on the federal government formation within that frame," Ardern told a news conference.
Labour won 64 of the 120 seats in the country's unicameral parliament.
For the last 3 years, Ardern was in a coalition with the Green Party and the nationalist New Zealand First party. Although she no more needs support, coalitions will be the norm in New Zealand as parties look to build consensus.
"I have already been a consensus builder but I also need to work with the mandate that Labour has been given as well," Ardern said.
"I have thought to the greens that I'd talk to them in a few days," she said. "I don't want to draw any conclusion at this stage."
The Greens returned with a bigger mandate of 7.6 percent of the vote, but NZ First, led by Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters, did not gather enough support to come back to parliament.
The Maori Party, representing the indigenous community which is approximately 15 percent of the population, made a comeback to parliament.
The resounding victory is a yes vote for Ardern's progressive, democratic governance and for her leadership in crushing COVID-19 in the country, together with her handling of a massacre of 51 worshippers at two Christchurch mosques and a fatal volcano eruption.
Ardern, 40, burnished her reputation this season with her "go hard, go early" method of COVID-19, which had all but eliminated the coronavirus in the country until a new case was reported on Sunday.
New Zealand has had just 25 deaths and around 1,500 infections. In the brand new case, health officials said the infected person was recognized early and the risk of transmission was contained.
Ardern retains a good international following with her promotion of issues including woman's rights, social justice, and multilateralism.
Still, there's been criticism of her monetary policies, and looming summer months with no international tourists will be a major test.
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com
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