New Zealand election early count shows two main parties near deadlocked

WELLINGTON — New Zealand’s ruling centre-right National Party and main opposition Labour were near deadlocked in the ​popular vote as counting began in the nationwide general election on Saturday.

Results from the ‌Electoral Commission show that with 27.4% of the results counted, both parties were polling just short of 30% of the popular vote, with just a few thousand votes separating the two.

A projection from New Zealand’s ​Electoral Commission showed the current three-party ruling coalition led by National would have a ​majority of just one seat, after an election dominated by a struggling economy ⁠and voter disillusionment with the two biggest contenders.

“I think it’s going to take some ​time before that becomes clear,” David Seymour, leader of junior coalition party ACT, said when ​asked if the coalition can return to power.

Left-leaning parties including Labour are aiming to make the National Party coalition the first one-term government in nearly 50 years.

While the Electoral Commission expects ​to report preliminary results from 50% of voting places by 10 p.m. (4 a.m. ET), there ​may be no new government until after official results are released on November 27 and coalition negotiations ‌are ⁠concluded.

New Zealand’s electoral system makes coalitions the…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business