New Zealand Election: National Party’s Luxon Triumphs
- National Party emerges as the surprising victor in the New Zealand election.
- Luxon expresses gratitude to National voters and promises “hope” and “change.
- Nanaia Mahuta, Foreign Minister, at risk of losing her constituency.
In a surprising turn of events, New Zealand‘s National Party emerged victorious in the election, securing enough seats to potentially form a right-wing coalition.
Incumbent Prime Minister Chris Hipkins from the Labour Party conceded defeat and extended his congratulations to National Party leader Chris Luxon.
Luxon expressed his gratitude to National voters, stating that they had chosen “hope” and “change.” This marks a swift rise for Luxon, who entered Parliament in 2020 and assumed leadership of the National Party just a year later.
According to projections from The New Zealand Herald, the National Party was on track to win approximately 50 seats, capturing around 39% of the vote. When combined with the projected 11 seats for Act, a natural right-wing ally, they would secure a slim majority in the expected 121-seat parliament.
The Labour Party was projected to secure 33 seats, the Greens 13, Act 12, NZ First 8, and Te Pāti Māori 4, with roughly 96% of the votes counted.
“I am immensely proud to say that on the numbers tonight, National will be able to lead the next government,” said Mr. Luxon, a former airline executive, after National’s projected victory was announced.
“My pledge to you is that our government will deliver for every New Zealander,” he said, adding that he would “build the economy and deliver tax relief”.
“We will bring down the cost of living. We will restore law and order,” he said.
“We will deliver better health care and we will educate our children so that they can grow up to live the lives they dream of.”
Nonetheless, a National-Act coalition would possess a narrow majority, implying that Mr. Luxon might need to secure the support of NZ First, led by Winston Peters, who has previously played a pivotal role in forming governments led by both Labour and National.
Mr. Hipkins, who took over from Jacinda Ardern in January, expressed his gratitude to supporters for their campaign efforts, acknowledging that the election result was not the outcome they had desired.
Addressing party members in Wellington, he encouraged them to take pride in the accomplishments of the past six years.
Key elements of Mr. Luxon’s election campaign included pledges to implement tax cuts for middle-income individuals, address youth crime, impose a ban on cell phones in schools, and abandon the Labour government’s proposal to increase fuel taxes.
One of the prominent concerns leading up to the election was the cost of living in New Zealand, a country significantly impacted by China’s economic slowdown, its largest trading partner, and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
“People don’t really think that it’s doing better than the rest of the world because they are hurting,” said local economist Brad Olsen.
The election outcome came as a surprise to the Labour Party, which, under the leadership of Ms. Ardern, achieved an unprecedented outright majority in government in 2020, a rare feat in New Zealand’s hybrid proportional representation system.
However, Labour’s support has eroded since then, with many New Zealanders expressing discontent due to soaring prices and the extended Covid lockdown in the country.
The party experienced notable setbacks, and some well-known members were at risk of losing their seats. For instance, the Foreign Minister, Nanaia Mahuta, was trailing in her constituency, with only 51% of the votes counted.
“Following on from my good friend Jacinda, it was not going to be an easy task,” Mr. Hipkins admitted.
“I did know when I took on this job that it was going to be an uphill battle.”
“New Zealanders are going to wake up to not only a new day, but the promise of a new government and a new direction,” Luxon told supporters in Auckland.
“I cannot wait to get stuck in and get to work because New Zealand has chosen change and we will get this country back on track.”
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