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New Zealand’s National Party-led governing coalition has secured a narrow parliamentary majority in the general election, putting Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on course for a second three-year term, Anadolu Agency reported, citing the local English-language daily NZ Herald.
With all votes counted in the preliminary tally, the coalition had won 67 of 131 seats, one more than the number needed for a simple majority. The opposition bloc, comprising the Labour Party, the Green Party and the Maori Party, secured 57 seats.
The preliminary result does not include 700,000 special votes, including ballots cast by overseas voters and people voting outside their electorates. The outcome could change when those votes are counted in the coming days. New Zealand’s Electoral Commission is scheduled to release the final official results, including the special votes, on Nov. 27.
From business executive to party leader
Luxon, 56, was born in New Zealand in 1970. Before entering politics, he led national carrier “Air New Zealand” and worked in the United States and Canada as an executive at consumer goods company “Unilever”.
He spent 18 years at “Unilever”, from 1993 to 2011, including senior roles abroad and a period as president of “Unilever Canada” from 2008. He joined “Air New Zealand” in 2011, became its chief executive in 2012 and left the airline in 2019.
A father of two, Luxon was first elected to Parliament in 2020, representing the Auckland electorate of Botany. He became National Party leader the following year and led the opposition from 2021 to 2023.
Luxon led the National Party to victory in the 2023 election, highlighting his business experience. He became New Zealand’s 42nd prime minister after that election, having had three years of parliamentary experience.
His record as prime minister includes a free trade deal with India, export growth, education reforms and tougher measures against criminal gangs. Analysts say, however, that the domestic economic recovery has been slow and that living costs and unemployment rose sharply during his three-year term, presenting a challenge to his bid for another term.
Opposition parties have portrayed Luxon as a millionaire disconnected from the difficulties faced by ordinary people.
Leadership challenges and election negotiations
Luxon’s leadership faced turbulence during the final year of his term amid weak polling, economic pressure and tensions within the three-party coalition. National Party lawmakers held two confidence votes on his leadership, in April and August 2026, and he survived both.
The second vote followed a leadership challenge by then-Defense Minister Chris Penk, whom Luxon dismissed from the Cabinet.
Speaking to supporters in Auckland, Luxon said the election was “too close to call”, with the final result dependent on special votes still to be counted. He said “negotiations and compromise” would be needed to form the next government.
