New Zealand election leaves National and Labour nearly deadlocked
With more than 95 percent of ballots counted, the two parties are a few thousand votes apart and coalition talks will decide who governs.
New Zealand's governing National Party and the opposition Labour Party were separated by a few thousand votes after counting in Saturday's general election, leaving the shape of the next government to coalition talks.
More than 95 per cent of ballots had been counted when Electoral Commission results put both parties just short of 30 per cent of the popular vote, the South China Morning Post reported. Al Jazeera described the count as near complete and the two parties as neck and neck.
Nikkei Asia reported that National and its partners were projected to win 67 of the 130 seats in parliament, based on counting before special votes were added. The centre-right party appeared set to win the most seats, Nikkei Asia said, but the composition of the next government would depend on negotiations between the parties.
National's leader, Christopher Luxon, stood on stage at an election party in Auckland with his wife Amanda and his daughter Olivia, according to a photograph published by Nikkei Asia.
The seat projection was made before special votes are counted, and those ballots had not been added to the tally when the three outlets reported.
Neither Al Jazeera nor the South China Morning Post published a seat projection of its own. The South China Morning Post said the commission's projection involved the current three-party arrangement, without giving the figures.
How the reports differ
Al Jazeera led with the state of the count, reporting that the two main parties were neck and neck after a nearly complete tally. Nikkei Asia led with seats, projecting National and its partners at 67 of 130 and framing the result around the coalition talks to come. The South China Morning Post carried the vote shares the others did not publish, putting both parties just short of 30 per cent with more than 95 per cent counted, and it alone attributed a projection to the Electoral Commission.
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