Wellington – New Zealand’s Prime Minister-Elect, Christopher Luxon, has begun working on establishing coalition relationships while awaiting the count of special votes. Luxon’s center-right National Party, along with their preferred coalition partner ACT New Zealand, achieved a narrow electoral victory, securing a combined total of 61 seats in the 121-seat parliament.
Awaiting Special Votes
While the National Party and the libertarian ACT New Zealand currently have the numbers to form a government, there are approximately 567,000 special votes to be counted, accounting for roughly 20% of the total vote. The official results are expected to be released on November 3, and it’s historically common for conservative parties to lose at least one seat in the final count.
Building Relationships and Confidential Arrangements
Christopher Luxon, 53, a former airline executive and relatively new to politics, mentioned during a press conference that the National Party would be patient and await the count of special votes before formally establishing a government. He also stated, “We are working very strongly to build relationships and also to work through arrangements with respective parties. We are going to do that confidentially.” Luxon expressed his desire to have a government formed before the Pacific Island Forum and APEC meetings in early November, contingent on the special votes and the progress of negotiations.
Current Transitional Government
Currently, New Zealand is under the governance of a transitional government led by the Labour Party. Luxon, who is a protege of former Prime Minister John Key, confirmed that the transition process between the two governments is underway. However, he refrained from commenting on ongoing issues, such as New Zealand’s response to Israel’s intense bombardment of Gaza, as those matters fall under the purview of the Labour government.
Parliament Induction for Newly Elected Members
The newly elected members of parliament have begun their induction to parliament in Wellington on Monday. This marks the early stages of the transition process as New Zealand anticipates the final results and the formation of a new government.