New Zealand Prime Minister-elect Luxon focuses on building coalition relationships
Lucy Craymer
New Zealand’s prime minister-elect, Christopher Luxon, is wasting no time as his party awaits the counting of special votes. Luxon and his center-right National Party are working on building relationships with both ACT New Zealand and New Zealand First, their preferred coalition partners.
Luxon’s party, along with libertarian party ACT, secured a narrow electoral victory on Saturday, winning a combined total of 61 seats out of 121 in parliament. While this gives them the numbers to form a government, the official result will not be confirmed until November 3, after the special votes are counted. Approximately 20% of the total votes still need to be tallied.
Despite the uncertainty, Luxon, a former airline executive and political newcomer at 53 years old, expressed confidence in the process. He stated that National is waiting for the special votes to be counted before officially forming a government. In the meantime, they are actively working on building relationships and negotiating arrangements with the respective parties.
Luxon emphasized the importance of confidentiality during these negotiations. He revealed that the ideal timeline would be to have a government formed before the Pacific Island Forum and APEC meetings in early November. However, this will depend on the progress of negotiations and the outcome of the special votes.
Currently, New Zealand is being governed by a transitional government led by the Labour party. Luxon acknowledged that the transition between the two governments is underway but refrained from commenting on current issues, stating that they fall under the responsibility of the Labour government.
In addition to the political developments, newly elected members of parliament have gathered in Wellington for their induction into the legislative body. This marks the beginning of their journey as representatives of the people.
