New Zealand election: Two women compete as voting opens

Voting for the general election has begun in New Zealand on Saturday.

As per the details, Labor Party leader Ardern, 40, and National Party chief Collins, 61, are the faces of the election to form the country’s 53rd parliament.

Polling booths welcomed voters at 9 am local time on Saturday. The polls will be closed at 7 pm local time. Several voters had already cast their ballots in advance.

After the closure, the Election Commission is likely to start releasing preliminary results. Various restrictions are in place.

According to the international news agency, more than 1.7 million ballots had already been cast as of Friday, accounting for almost half of the about 3.5 million New Zealanders on the electoral rolls.

According to the News-hub-Reid research poll, support for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s party was at 45.8 percent, down 4.3 percentage points from the last poll. The opposition National Party was at 31.1 percent, up 1.5 percentage points.

On the other hand, special votes, including ballots from overseas New Zealanders and those who vote outside their home constituencies, will be released on 6th November.

Jacinda Ardern set to dominate

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is likely to win for the second term in elections that will be held on Saturday.

She is likely to have an edge over her rivals because of her handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which helped to create an image as an effective leader.

According to the international news agency, recent opinion polls show it is still polling at 46 percent compared with the National Party’s 31 percent ahead of the election.