New Zealand's ruling National-led coalition has secured a parliamentary majority in the general election, according to preliminary results released early Sunday. The coalition, led by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, is poised to retain power for a second term. The Election Commission's tally of all voting places has resulted in 11 "overhang" seats, increasing the total number of seats in parliament to 131.
The National Party, ACT New Zealand, and New Zealand First collectively secured 67 seats, giving the three-party coalition a narrow majority to continue governing. In contrast, the opposition bloc of the Labor Party, the Green Party, and the Maori Party garnered 57 seats in total. The contest between the National and Labor parties remained exceptionally close, with each securing over 29 per cent of the vote, according to preliminary figures.
Addressing supporters in Auckland, Luxon described the election as "too close to call," with the final outcome hinging on special votes to be counted. He acknowledged that negotiations and compromise would be needed to form the next government. The outcome could still change when 700,000 special votes are counted in the coming days. These votes include ballots cast by overseas voters and people voting outside their electorates.
The Green Party has won a record 16 seats in parliament, while the centrist Opportunity Party has also made a parliamentary breakthrough, projected to win seven seats. The country has nearly 3.8 million provisionally enrolled voters for the 2026 general election, representing 93.6 per cent of the estimated eligible population. This is slightly below the final enrolment rates of 94.7 per cent in 2023 and 94.1 per cent in 2020.
New Zealand uses the mixed-member proportional voting system to elect its parliament. Under this system, voters cast two ballots, one for a political party and another for their local electorate candidate. The government is usually formed by two or more parliamentary political parties. The Electoral Commission is scheduled to release the final official results, including special votes, on November 27.
The Labor Party, led by former prime minister Chris Hipkins, put up a strong fight but ultimately fell short of securing a majority. The party's performance was closely watched, given Hipkins' experience as prime minister. Despite the close contest, Luxon's National-led coalition appears poised to continue governing.
The final results of the election will be closely watched, both domestically and internationally. The outcome will have significant implications for New Zealand's governance and policy direction in the coming years. Key stakeholders will be monitoring the situation closely as the Electoral Commission prepares to release the final official results.
Key points
- The National-led coalition secured 67 seats, giving them a narrow majority to continue governing.
- The Green Party won a record 16 seats in parliament.
- The final official results, including special votes, are scheduled to be released on November 27.
