New Zealand VOTE: Support For Center-Left Parties Eased Versus 1999
WELLINGTON -(Dow Jones)- New Zealand's center-left parties secured 50.84% of the nationwide vote in Saturday's general election, down from 51.64% in the country's last general election held three years ago. Although Prime Minister Helen Clark's Labour Party, and the small environmentalist Green Party, garnished a little bit more support than three years ago, the leftist Alliance Party's support collapsed.
According to the Electoral Commission, Labour attracted 41.36% of the nationwide vote, up from 38.74% in 1999. The Green Party attracted 6.49% support, up from 5.16% three years earlier.
The Alliance, which had been the junior partner in Clark's outgoing minority coalition administration and held 10 seats, registered just 1.24% of votes Saturday, down from 7.74% three years ago.
The Progressive Coalition, an offshoot of the Alliance created by Economic Development Minister Jim Anderton a month ago, attracted 1.75% of the vote Saturday.
The Electoral Commission said Labour would be allocated 52 seats in the new 120-seat Parliament, up from 49 in the outgoing House of Representatives.
The Green Party's representation will increase by one lawmaker, to eight, while the Progressive Coalition has secured two seats.
The Alliance, however, has failed in its ambition to retain a presence in the next Parliament.
Center Parties Big Winners
The center-left's loss this election didn't assist the center-right of the political spectrum.
The center-right National and ACT parties saw their combined vote decline to 28.16%, down from 37.54%, reflecting a decline in the vote for National. The two parties will be allocated just 36 seats, down from 48.
The big victors Saturday were the anti-immigration NZ First Party and the family-values based United Future Party.
United Future won 6.82% of the vote, enough to win nine seats, up from a com bined 1.66% of the vote achieved for the United and Future parties which contested the 1999 elections as two separate parties.
NZ First Saturday won 10.6% of the vote, enough to hold 13 seats. That was up from 4.26% support in 1999 when it won five seats.
The NZ First and United Future parties describe themselves as "centrist" because they are willing to negotiate with either the left or the right of the political spectrum.
Their policies, however, lean to the center-right and both parties have in the past served as junior coalition partners in National Party-led administrations.
2002 Election Last Election
Night Result Nov. 27 1999
Center-Left
Labour Party 41.36% 38.74%
Green Party 6.49% 5.16%
Progressive 1.75% -
Alliance Party 1.24% 7.74%
Center/Nationalist
NZ First 10.60% 4.26%
United Future 6.82% 1.66%*
Center-Right
National 21.08% 30.50%
ACT 7.08% 7.04%
*In 1999, the United Party attracted 0.54% of the vote; The Future NZ Party