New Zealand’s ruling party meets to decide PM Luxon’s fate

On Wednesday, New Zealand's ruling National Party convened to deliberate on the future of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, with his tenure in office hanging in the balance less than three months before a general election. Luxon, who has been at the helm since 2023, has encountered difficulties in turning around his party's declining poll numbers. Despite surviving a confidence vote in April, speculation has grown regarding the viability of his leadership.

Luxon addressed the media on X, stating, "My firm belief is that division and disunity are a major distraction... 90 days out from the election. This issue needs to be resolved quickly." The 56-year-old's meeting commenced at Parliament House in Wellington around 9:30 am local time.

Details about Luxon's fate remained confidential as ministers entered the closed-door session. Luxon had managed to secure a leadership vote in April, despite reports that party members were unhappy with his performance, with National's poll numbers dipping below 30%. Luxon, a former Air New Zealand executive, garnered the support of voters in 2023 by pledging to control inflation and reduce interest rates.

However, his leadership has been marred by a series of gaffes and miscommunications, as well as his inability to maintain control over his coalition partners.

Some of Luxon's most notable missteps included Foreign Minister Winston Peters' racially insensitive comments about a Chinese lawmaker, which drew international condemnation from Luxon but not the New Zealand First leader. Additionally, Luxon alienated small-business owners, a core constituent of his base, by labeling them as having a "parent-child mentality" towards the government. His suggestion for a referendum on New Zealand's mixed-member proportional representation system proved to be an unpopular idea.

Polling indicates that some of Luxon's senior ministers might face expulsion from parliament when voters head to the polls on November 7.