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New Zealand election: John Key leads National to overwhelming victory New Zealand election: John Key leads National to overwhelming victory
(about 1 hour later)
The John Key led National party will return to power in New Zealand for a third consecutive term, having survived waves of scandal during a volatile and antagonistic election campaign to secure an overwhelming victory. The John Key-led National party will return to power in New Zealand for a third consecutive term, having survived waves of scandal during a volatile and antagonistic election campaign to secure an overwhelming victory.
With almost all of the vote counted, National is on the brink of securing the first single-party parliamentary majority since New Zealand moved to its Mixed Member Proportional electoral system in 1996. National is on the brink of securing the first single-party parliamentary majority since New Zealand moved to its Mixed Member Proportional electoral system in 1996.
The result is a disaster for the main opposition Labour party, while the Mana-Internet party experiment, backed by German entrepreneur Kim Dotcom, has spectacularly backfired, and may fail to win so much as a single seat. The result is a disaster for the main opposition Labour party, while the Mana-Internet party experiment, backed by Kim Dotcom, has spectacularly backfired, failing to win so much as a single seat.
With more than 90% of the vote counted, National had received just over 48% of the party vote, which determines the composition of parliament under New Zealand’s proportional system, enough to gain 62 seats in a 121 seat chamber. The Labour party trailed on 24%, with the Green party on 10% and the New Zealand First Party, which had been picked as a potential kingmaker, on 9%. Arriving at the party’s headquarters on the Auckland waterfront to chants of “three more years”, Key said the result signalled a “victory for the people, the policies, the unity and the vision that National will bring to government for the next three years”.
The rightwing family-values Conservative party, on 4%, failed to reach the crucial 5% threshold that is required to enter parliament by any party without an electorate seat. Describing himself as “humble and at the same time energised”, Key pledged to “continue to provide the strong and stable government that is working for New Zealand”.
The Internet-Mana party, backed and bankrolled by German entrepreneur Kim Dotcom, was relying on the Mana leader, Hone Harawira, winning his seat, Te Tai Tokerau, to bring other MPs in with him. That cause now looks lost, with the Labour candidate Kelvin Davis almost certain to take the Maori electorate from him. “We are the finest little nation on the planet, I truly believe that. Our future as a country is bright, our opportunities are unlimited.”
Dotcom, currently being sought for extradition from New Zealand by the US, brokered the strategic alliance of the Internet Party with leftwing Maori-focused Mana party with the express purpose of removing John Key’s government. The provisional final count saw National win 48% of the party vote, which determines the composition of parliament under New Zealand’s proportional system, enough to gain them 61 seats in a 121 seat chamber. The Labour party trailed on 25%, with the Green party on 10% and the New Zealand First Party, which had been picked as a likely kingmaker, on 9%.
Whether or not the final numbers allow National to form a single-party majority government, Key is likely to seek support from the same group of small parties, the Maori Party, ACT and United Future, between them on course to win four seats, with which he was previously allied. The rightwing family-values Conservative party, funded by the millions of its leader Colin Craig, finished the night on 4%, failing to reach the crucial 5% threshold that is required to enter parliament by any party without an electorate seat.
Senior National MP and campaign strategist Steven Joyce indicated they may also attempt to reach an accommodation with New Zealand First. Dotcom, currently being sought for extradition from New Zealand by the US to face copyright and money laundering charges, brokered and bankrolled to the tune of an estimated NZ $4 million the strategic alliance of the Internet Party with leftwing Maori-focused Mana party with the express purpose of removing John Key’s government.
Labour had hoped it might build a government encompassing Greens and NZ First, but the party, beleaguered by infighting in the lead-up to the campaign, is now left facing a period of introspection, with a number of high-profile MPs losing their seats. There will inevitably be calls for the leader, David Cunliffe, to stand down. The party’s success hinged on the Mana leader, Hone Harawira, winning his seat, Te Tai Tokerau, to bring other MPs in with him. He was defeated in the Maori electorate by Labour’s Kelvin Davis, however, with National and New Zealand First both having urged their supporters to vote to support Davis and scupper the Dotcom project.
In his last interview before the polls opened, Cunliffe told TV3 it had been “the craziest and in some ways the most unfortunate campaign in recorded memory”. It had been “really difficult for opposition parties to get a word in on the issues that matter to most Kiwis”. The German entrepreneur blamed himself for the result, acknowledging “the brand Dotcom was poison”.
Conventional policy arguments were squeezed to the edges of the campaign as two major controversies dominated headlines and put Key on the defensive. Even if the final numbers, following special votes, allow National to form a single-party majority government, Key will seek support from the Maori Party, ACT and United Future, which between them won four seats, the same group of parties with which he was previously allied.
The release of a book by Nicky Hager, Dirty Politics, described links between senior figures in the National Party and the rightwing attack-blog Whale Oil. Further fuel was added to the fire with the repeated release of hacked online correspondence, upon which the book had drawn, by a mysterious character called “Rawshark”. The revelations led ultimately to the resignation of the justice minister. Key said he intended to “talk to other leaders of political parties, with a view to putting together a broader majority and to ensure a durable and strong government”.
Just as the campaign was beginning to regain some normalcy, another intervention stole the spotlight. Hosted by Dotcom, journalist Glenn Greenwald arrived in New Zealand promising to disprove Key’s denial that mass surveillance was undertaken by local intelligence agencies. Key denied the claim, dismissing Greenwald a conspiracy theorist, a “henchman” for Dotcom, and even a “loser”. Labour had hoped it might build a government encompassing Greens and NZ First, but the party, beleaguered by infighting in the lead-up to the campaign, are left facing a period of introspection, with a number of high-profile MPs losing their seats.
The controversy culminated in an event billed by Dotcom as “The Moment of Truth” at the Auckland Town Hall on Monday night, with Greenwald joined on the big screen by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The revelations from Snowden and Greenwald were muddied by Kim Dotcom’s failure to provide the evidence he had promised to unveil showing that John Key had colluded with Hollywood lobbyists in planning for his extradition. Speaking to the party faithful in west Auckland, Cunliffe said he intended to continue as leader, while acknowledging he would go through the selection process required under party rules. The the “rebuild of the party and the campaign for the next election” would begin immediately, he said.
Mike Williams, a former Labour Party president, said that of the almost 40 elections that he had been involved in, local and national, none compared to this latest campaign. “I’ve been to some bizarre places, I’ve been to a Northern Territory [Australia] election, and they take a bit of beating, but I’ve never seen anything like this. There’s been almost no contest of ideas.” He lamented “a campaign beset by dirty politics and sideshows, involving potential abuses of power at the highest level that will still take months and months to unravel”, but which had “distracted from the issues that are more core to the future of our country”.
Labour, said Williams, had “spun their wheels” as the scandals dominated, he said. “I’m not quite certain why. David Cunliffe performed adequately, or a bit better than adequately, in the face to face debates. My guess is he kind of lacks a warmth. There’s something missing. I think there has been an erosion of trust in the National Party government, there would have to be, but any benefit has really gone to the Greens, Winston [of the NZ First Party] and Colin Craig [of the Conservatives].” Cunliffe added that the results on the night “clearly stated that wealthy individuals cannot buy politics, be they Kim Dotcom or Colin Craig”.
Despite wet and blustery weather across large parts of the country, voter turnout appeared to be holding strong, boosted by a surge in the number of people taking advantage of the opportunity to vote early. Almost a quarter of all registered voters chose to cast their ballot in the days leading up to Saturday. Conventional policy arguments have been squeezed to the edges of the campaign, with two major controversies dominating headlines and putting Key on the defensive. The release of a book by Nicky Hager, Dirty Politics, described links between senior figures in the National Party and the rightwing attack-blog Whale Oil.
Further fuel was added to the fire with the repeated release of hacked online correspondence, upon which the book had drawn, by a mysterious character called “Rawshark”. The revelations led ultimately to the resignation of the justice minister.
Just as the campaign was beginning to regain some normalcy, another intervention stole the spotlight. Hosted by Dotcom, journalist Glenn Greenwald’s arrived in New Zealand promising to disprove Key’s denial that mass surveillance was undertaken by local intelligence agencies. Key denied the claim, dismissing Greenwald a conspiracy theorist, a “henchman” for Dotcom, and even a “loser”.
The controversy culminated in an event billed by Dotcom as “the Moment of Truth” at the Auckland Town Hall on Monday night, with Greenwald joined on the big screen by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
The revelations from Snowden and Greenwald were muddied, however, by Kim Dotcom’s failure to provide the evidence he had promised to unveil showing that John Key had colluded with Hollywood lobbyists in planning for his extradition.