New Zealanders will have the chance to return or remove Jacinda Ardern’s government on September 19, when Kiwis will go to the polls in a general election.
The Prime Minister and Labour leader announced the date on Tuesday in Wellington, following the tradition of naming the election date early in the year.
“I will be asking New Zealanders to continue to support my leadership and the current direction of the government which is grounded in stability, a strong economy and progress on the long term challenges facing New Zealand,” she said.
Alternate prime minister Simon Bridges, the opposition leader from the Nationals, will be looking to make Ms Ardern’s coalition the first one-term New Zealand government in over 40 years.
And the date is…. September 19! Today @jacindaardern announced the date of the 2020 election. Head to https://t.co/VXyHvxxYA7 to sign up for email updates and get involved. pic.twitter.com/4c1WrGbbhj
— New Zealand Labour (@nzlabour) January 28, 2020
He faces a tough ask given Ms Ardern’s favourability as preferred prime minister, New Zealand’s relatively strong economy and the electorate’s preference for stability – in stark contrast to the last 15 years in Australian politics.
Still, New Zealand’s mixed member proportional (MMP) system allows for surprising results.
In 2017, the then prime minister Bill English was all smiles on election night, declaring victory after National won over 44 per cent of the vote to be clearly the biggest party in parliament.
Jacinda Ardern, who became leader just seven weeks earlier in an attempt to resuscitate Labour’s failing campaign, became prime minister after winning over minority parties in negotiations to form government.
Without a landslide result, New Zealand’s major parties are likely to rely on minority parties to govern once more.
NZ First, led by Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters, and the Green party both currently back Labour but will run separate campaigns.
Ms Ardern has pledged to run a “positive, factual and robust” campaign, fighting the spread of misinformation or “fake news” online, and submitting their policies for independent costing.
“It’s incumbent on us to deliver the campaign New Zealanders expect and deserve,” she said.
Ms Ardern dismissed the notion that the 235-day election campaign would fatigue Kiwis, saying it was best practice to have a date set long in advance.
“It’s fair and it allows our electoral commission to prepare … we’re all constantly in campaign mode anyway,” she said.
The date – September 19 – places the poll in the same month as the last two elections, while avoiding school holidays and All Blacks matches.
New Zealanders will also vote on two hot-button social issues – the legalisation of euthanasia and cannabis – in referendums timed to coincide with the general election.
-AAP
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