New Zealand Ends Campaigning With Labour at 30.7% and National at 26.4%
Updated
Updated · Reuters · Nov 5
New Zealand Ends Campaigning With Labour at 30.7% and National at 26.4%
3 articles · Updated · Reuters · Nov 5
Summary
Friday marked the final day of New Zealand's election campaign, with an Infrastructure New Zealand poll putting Labour on 30.7% and National on 26.4% ahead of Saturday's vote.
1.67 million people had already voted through Thursday—more than a third of eligible voters—as the campaign centered on a weak economy, cost-of-living pressure and waning trust in the main parties.
Midnight triggers a strict blackout on campaigning and advertising until polls close at 7 p.m. Saturday, while all election signs must come down and media cannot publish material that could sway voters.
5.1% support for the Opportunity Party in the same poll points to a likely kingmaker role, with smaller parties expected to be crucial in coalition talks that could take weeks after results begin arriving Saturday night.
5.7% unemployment in the third quarter—the highest in 11 years—has underscored the economic strain shaping a race that could make the Luxon-led coalition New Zealand's first one-term government in nearly 50 years.