New Zealand: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s centre-left Labour Party won a landslide victory. The voters rewarded Jacinda for a strong response to COVID-19.
“This is a historic shift,” said political commentator Bryce Edwards of Victoria University in Wellington, describing the ”vote as one of the biggest swings in New Zealand`s electoral history in 80 years”.
Ardern’s centre-left Labour Party was on 49.2 percent and forecast to take around 64 seats in the 120-member parliament.
It is noteworthy that no leader has achieved an absolute majority since New Zealand adopted a proportional voting system in 1996
The 40-year-old Ardern’s party formed the government in 2017 in alliance with two other parties. After the victory, she said ”I would use my mandate to rebuild the economy affected by the corona virus epidemic and tackle social inequality”.
Addressing his supporters after the result, Ardern said, “New Zealand has shown its greatest support to the Labor Party in almost 50 years.” He added, “We will not take your support lightly. And I can promise you that we will be a party that will rule for every New Zealander.”
