First listen to Election results.
Special votes were announced yesterday and there are some changes to the preliminary results from election day. The National Party has lost two MPs and both Labour and the Greens have gained one MP. National now has 56 MPs, Labour has 46, and the Greens have 8. Labour and the Greens had planned to form a coalition if they had 61 seats between them but they need another 7 MPs. We have a government of 120 MPs so 61 is needed for a majority.
New Zealand First has 9 MPs and it looks likely that this party will join the government in a coalition. The National Party, which has the most votes, will be expected to form the next government. The National Party is therefore holding talks with the leader of New Zealand First, Winston Peters.
If they cannot agree, then the Labour Party could possibly form a coalition government with the Greens and New Zealand First. Since many of their policies are very different, such a coalition could have problems.
The leader of New Zealand First, Winston Peters, has promised to decide by October 12th which party he will support.
Vocabulary (See Oct 1st for the same vocabulary)
• preliminary – first and temporary
• MPs – Members of Parliament