Wellington (AFP) - The result of the general elections in New Zealand is not yet clear with the start of the preliminary results on Saturday, amid expectations that neither of the two major parties will be able to obtain a majority, after an election campaign dominated by fears about the rising costs of living and the economic situation.

Published on: 07/11/2026 - 10:03

New Zealanders are facing difficulty meeting their living needs, as commodity prices remain high, while unemployment has reached its highest levels in more than a decade.

Many attribute the decline of the New Zealand economy, which depends on foreign trade, to the war in the Middle East and the subsequent crisis in global fuel prices.

By 21:44 (08:44 GMT), with more than 50% of the votes counted, the Election Commission’s data showed intense competition between the two main parties, as the National Party and the Labor Party each obtained 29.4% of the votes.

Neither of them is expected to win enough seats in New Zealand's parliament to allow them to govern alone.

This highlights the role that the country's small parties, especially the emerging centrist Opportunity Party, may play.

Under the country's mixed proportional representation system, voters must cast two votes: one for a general party list, and the other for an individual candidate representing their electoral district.

Preliminary results indicate that the Opportunity Party obtained more than 5% of the votes, which is the percentage required to win seats in Parliament without the need for any of the party’s candidates to win in individual electoral districts.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon sought to keep his right-wing coalition in power, pledging not to impose new taxes, after three turbulent years in power, two failed attempts from within his party to oust him from his leadership, and in light of an economic recession.

As for the centre-left Labor Party, led by former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, it promised to provide aid to ease the burden of living, including providing free doctor visits and prescriptions and setting a ceiling on public transport tariffs.

A recent opinion poll published on Friday showed that the Labor Party obtained 30% of the votes, narrowly ahead of the National Party.

© 2026 AFP

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