'Narrow win' for NZ ruling party (Labour)

[muriel_volestrangler]

New Zealand's ruling Labour Party appears to have won a narrow victory in elections, but will need the support of minor parties to form a government.

Election officials said Prime Minister Helen Clark had enough votes for 50 seats in parliament to the opposition National Party's 49.

Correspondents say a government could take weeks to be formed as both parties try to put together coalitions.
...
ELECTION RESULTS
Labour - 41% (50 seats)
National - 40% (49)
New Zealand First - 6% (7)
Greens - 5% (6)
United Future - 3% (3)
Maori - 2% (4*)
Act - 1.5% (2)
Progressive Party - 1% (1)
*Includes two guaranteed seats

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4254736.stm

[MaineDem]

1. Good on ya, Ms Clark!

And congratulations to the Kiwis.

[sonicx]

2. in the story, it says...

>>That year's 77% figure was considered low for the South Pacific nation, which has 2.83 million registered voters.<<

considered low? wow.

Good news on the win, but they barely got it.

[primavera]

3. Yeah, but from what I understand...

...NZ's "conservative" party occupies a space on the political spectrum around where our Democrats are. Besides, it's a multiparty system, so parties need the aid of others to get measures passed and, in NZ's case, those parties are pretty seriously liberal ones.

[AX10]

4. National is somewhat right of the Democrats.

However, the center/center left parties received 70 seats which is 59% of all the seats (120 total)

[non sociopath skin]

8. The BBC reported this morning that the NZ Nats planned to disenfranchise .

... some of the Maori population.

So unless the Dems have plans to disenfranchise Native Americans, I suspect that they're to their right ..

Perhaps a Kiwi poster could elucidate?

The Skin

[sonicx]

10. they want to eliminate the seats set aside for the Maoris

oh, and stop their "welfare dependency." :eyes:

[non sociopath skin]

11. The same space as the Dems? Well, Zell Miller, maybe ....

The Skin

[sonicx]

13. They are definitely right wing

They also want to end New Zealand's anti-nuclear policy. :nuke:

[sonicx]

5. btw

PM Clark is atheist. I think that's interesting.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. She described herself as agnostic last year

Helen Clark is an agnostic.

She made the declaration yesterday in response to a claim by Dr Brash that she was an atheist.

"I am not going to have Dr Brash describe my personal beliefs," she said. "I'm not aware I have ever described myself as an atheist.

"I describe myself as an agnostic."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=3554978

[sonicx]

7. ah ok, thanks

i believe the leader of the centre-right National Party is atheist or agnostic too. Can you imagine an atheist leading the Republicans (or Dems for that matter)?

[Briar]

9. Perhaps the US would be better off

if atheists and agnostics could be political candidates.

[non sociopath skin]

12. Most western countries achieved that in the 19th/ early 20th centuries...

... maybe the States will get there before Saudi, maybe not ...

The Skin

[Nostradamus]

14. US right-wing pumped money into fascist National Party campaign

you will find it all here at www.scoop.co.nz

the National Party tried to win on a platform of greed and racism