Jacinda Ardern and her Labour Party have secured a historic victory in New Zealand.
The Labour Party won 64 of the 120 seats in New Zealand’s Parliament, meaning the party will be able to govern without the need for coalition partners. This is the first time since New Zealand adopted a proportional representation electoral system in 1996 that a party will govern alone.
Labour’s closest rival, the centre-right National Party, trails significantly, and won 35 seats. The Greens and the ACT party (a classically liberal outfit) each won ten seats.
Labour’s current coalition partner, the populist New Zealand First party, won’t make it back into Parliament. Under New Zealand’s system, parties have to either win at least five percent of the vote or win at least one constituency to be represented in Parliament. New Zealand First failed to do either.
The Maori Party, which represents indigenous New Zealanders’ interests, will also be in Parliament, having won a single constituency seat.
New Zealanders are also voting in referenda on whether to legalise cannabis and euthanasia. However, the results of these plebiscites will only be made available at the end of the month.
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