Labour and National locked in tight race as New Zealand vote count continues

New Zealand’s governing National Party and the centre-left Labour Party were in a close contest as vote counting continued in Saturday’s general election, according to Radio New Zealand.

Polling stations opened at 9 a.m. (2000 GMT Friday) and closed at 7 p.m. (0600 GMT Saturday). Counting began after the polls closed.

With 41.7% of votes counted, Labour was leading with 29.7%, narrowly ahead of the National Party on 29.4%. The Greens had 14%, Anadolu Agency reported.

Preliminary results are expected later Saturday, while final results are due by Nov. 27.

Other parties contesting the election include the Green Party, ACT New Zealand and New Zealand First, as well as smaller parties such as Te Pati Maori and the Opportunity Party.

Among the newcomers is the Free Palestine Party. Its leader, Paul Hopkinson, told Anadolu earlier this year that the party aims to bring the Palestinian issue to the forefront of the election campaign.