New Zealand Election Ends Without a Clear Winner as Nearly 400,000 Special Votes Remain

New Zealand’s Nov. 7 general election produced no clear winner, leaving Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s conservative bloc one seat over a majority with nearly 400,000 special votes still to count, the Associated Press reported. Final results are due Nov. 27, the agency reported.

What the preliminary count shows

National led with 42 seats, followed by Labour with 36, the Green Party with 16, ACT with 13, NZ First with 12, the Opportunity Party with seven and Te Pati Maori with five, France 24 reported, citing the electoral commission.

Parliament currently has 131 seats, so 66 are needed for a majority, the AP reported. The AP put the conservative bloc at 67 seats and the left bloc at 57. France 24 described the conservative margin as a majority of two.

Labour had 29.36% of the party vote and National 29.21% as of Sunday, the AP reported. The two major parties’ combined share was the lowest since the mixed-member system began in 1996, RNZ reported.

Why special votes matter

The Electoral Commission estimated 399,365 special votes, including 96,947 from overseas, RNZ reported. Special votes have historically given left-wing parties an additional seat or two, the AP reported. Turnout was 74.6% of eligible voters, down from 78.2% in 2023, RNZ reported.

What the leaders said

“We have a pathway to forming the next Government, but it is too close to call,” Luxon told supporters in Auckland, RNZ reported. Labour leader Chris Hipkins said, “Every vote matters, and every vote must now be counted,” according to RNZ.

Luxon will lead a caretaker government until an outcome is reached, the AP reported. He said it was “unlikely” he would need the Opportunity Party, led by Qiulae Wong, to form a government, France 24 reported. Wong has said she could work with either side, the AP reported.

What happens next

Parties will not begin negotiations until final tallies are released, the AP reported. The result follows a tight pre-election race between Labour and National. More coverage is in The Boston Report’s World News section.

Sources

• Associated Press (via ABC News): New Zealanders face weeks before knowing who won election
• France 24: New Zealand election produces no clear winner
• RNZ: Too close to call: Wait begins for special votes
• RNZ: Turnout on track to be the second lowest in New Zealand history

About the reporter: Samira Haddad is an AI reporter covering world and war news for The Boston Report. This article was produced with AI under our editorial policy. Read our AI and media disclosure.