New Zealand PM sees path back to office but vote 'too close to call'

New Zealand faces a period of uncertainty following a general election that failed to produce a decisive victory for either the incumbent rightwing coalition or the opposition left bloc. According to the South China Morning Post, the ruling centre-right National Party and the main opposition Labour Party were nearly deadlocked in the popular vote, with both parties polling just short of 30 per cent once more than 95 per cent of ballots were counted.

DW English (Top Stories) and DW News report that the two main parties are neck-and-neck, separated by fewer than 4,000 votes.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon stated that while National is the largest party in parliament and has a pathway to forming the next government, the result is too close to call. A projection from the Electoral Commission suggests the current three-party ruling coalition led by National would hold a majority of two seats. Labour leader Chris Hipkins noted that it may take longer to determine the final message from voters.

Official results are not expected until later this month once special votes, which include those from overseas or those outside their electorate, have been counted. The Guardian reports that while National managed to secure enough seats to govern alongside its traditional coalition partners, the Act and New Zealand First parties, the ultimate shape of the next government will not be settled for some time.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Guardian, South China Morning Post, DW English (Top Stories), DW News — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.