New Zealand’s general election, scheduled for next month, has been postponed for four weeks.
This follows the country’s biggest city, Auckland, being put under lockdown earlier this month, after an outbreak of Covid-19 there. These were the first recorded cases of Covid-19 in over 100 days in the South Pacific nation.
New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, said that she had delayed the election for four weeks, until 17 October, following consultation with opposition political parties. According to Bloomberg Ardern said: ‘Moving the date by four weeks also gives all parties a fair shot to campaign and delivers New Zealanders certainty without unnecessarily long delays. This decision gives all parties time over the next nine weeks to campaign and the Electoral Commission enough time to ensure an election can go ahead.’
Ardern and her Labour Party are leading in opinion polls, with latest polls indicating she enjoys the support of more than 50% of the electorate. If the polls are also reflected in the results Ardern will be able to govern alone. Currently the Labour Party governs in coalition with New Zealand First and the Greens. The National Party is the biggest opposition party, polling at just over 30%.