New Zealand election remains tight as final count could still shift the balance
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With 95% of votes counted, National holds only a razor-thin lead over Labour, while special votes still to come may yet strengthen the left and reshape the final outcome.
Preliminary results from New Zealand's general election show the centre-right National Party clinging to a narrow lead of about 3,500 votes over the opposition Labour Party, with just under 30% of the vote each after 95% of ballots were counted. The incumbent Prime Minister Christopher Luxon declared his party is "once again the largest party in parliament, and we have a pathway to forming the next government," but the numbers tell a far more uncertain story. Labour leader Chris Hipkins called for "common ground" and urged cooperation, emphasizing that neither party is likely to secure a governing majority on its own.
National currently governs in coalition with ACT and New Zealand First, and together the three parties are projected to hold 67 seats, a slim majority in a parliament that is expected to expand to 130 seats because of an overhang. The centrist Opportunity Party is projected to win seven seats, crossing the 5% threshold for its first parliamentary entry, though Luxon has ruled out any cooperation with it.
Special votes, including overseas ballots, will be counted over the next three weeks and typically favor left-leaning parties, which could still make a meaningful difference in a race this close. The electoral commission expects final results on November 27.