The election has finished, and the result is that the Labour Party has a majority government. This is unusual in New Zealand because we usually have a coalition government. Even though Labour does have a clear majority, they may still form a coalition with other parties who they have a good relationship with; the Green Party and the Maori Party. This will make the government even stronger and more stable.

At this stage, we know that the Prime Minister will be Jacinda Ardern, but we are not sure who will fill other portfolios as these are still being decided.

Vocabulary:

Majority: more than half

unusual: not normal, not usual

usual: normal, what happens most of the time. For pronunciation help, go here. 

clear: obvious, easy to see

form: make

coalition: when several political parties share government

stable: not likely to change

at this stage: now, temporary

portfolio: job as a minister in the government. Notice that “fill” is the verb for “portfolio”, “job” and “position”