WELLINGTON, Nov 7 — New Zealand’s two main parties were neck and neck today with over half of votes counted and neither securing an outright majority, 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.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon hoped his right-wing coalition could cling to power with promises of “no new taxes”, after three fractious years in office, two failed bids by his own National Party to oust him as leader and an economy in the doldrums.
