New Zealand has begun counting votes in one of its closest elections in history, with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s National Party and Chris Hipkins’ Labour Party running neck-and-neck as economic concerns dominate the race.
WELLINGTON: New Zealand counted the votes Saturday in one of the closest elections in its history, with none of the parties expected to secure a majority of seats in Parliament after a campaign dominated by worries over rising costs of living and the economy.
Kiwis are struggling to make ends meet — the price of basic goods remains stubbornly high and unemployment at its highest in more than a decade.
The war in the Middle East and the subsequent global fuel shock have been widely blamed for the hit to New Zealand’s trade-dependent economy.
