Politics

New Zealand Voters Head to Polls on Final Election Day

By Al Jazeera Staff

On the final day of voting, more than half of New Zealand’s electorate cast early ballots in a closely contested election. Polls opened at 9 a.m. (20:00 GMT Friday) and closed at 7 p.m. (06:00 GMT Saturday). Voting began on October 26, and by the end of Thursday, the Electoral Commission reported that over 1.6 million of the nearly 3.8 million registered voters had already voted. The country enforces a 19‑hour election‑day blackout that prohibits all political commentary, including from parties, news outlets and social media, until polling stations close. The law also requires removal of billboards and advertising, and bans political slogans on bumper stickers, T‑shirts and profile pictures; violations can result in fines up to NZ$20,000 ($11,000). Opinion polls indicate a tight race between the centre‑right National Party and the centre‑left Labour Party, with neither expected to secure a majority alone. The Electoral Commission plans to release preliminary results from 95 percent of polling stations by the end of Saturday night, and a final count—including overseas ballots—will be available by November 27. Parties are campaigning mainly on economic issues, with National pledging fiscal discipline to return the budget to surplus and expand the national pension scheme, while Labour focuses on reducing the cost of living through cheaper healthcare and transport. New Zealand’s mixed‑member proportional system means voters choose both a local electorate candidate and a party; seats are allocated to electorate winners and to parties based on the national vote.}