September election will proceed: poll commission

AUCKLAND: New Zealand’s Electoral Commission unveiled safety measures yesterday designed to allow a national election to proceed as planned in September despite the coronavirus threat.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the Sept 19 election date in January, before the global scale of the contagion was apparent, and has repeatedly said she does not plan to move it.

With New Zealand set to end a sevenweek lockdown in the coming days, the EC said it had held discussions with health officials about how to stage the vote safely.

“This year’s election will be different because of Covid-19, a range of measures will be in place to help keep people safe,” it said.

Ms Ardern said she had only considered the election “in passing” as she deals with the Covid-19 crisis.

“The election feels — in terms of days, weeks and months — a lifetime away,” she told reporters yesterday.

“As you’d imagine in the middle of a global pandemic, it’s not something that I have yet turned my mind to.”

Opinion polls taken earlier this year before the pandemic reached New Zealand showed Ms Ardern’s centre-left Labour Party trailing the conservative National Party slightly but on track for a narrow victory with the help of coalition partners.

Since then, Ms Ardern has won global praise for her decisive virus response, which has seen the nation of five million record only 21 deaths.

No opinion polls have been officially released during New Zealand’s lockdown but leaked research by Labour’s pollster, UMR, last month had Ms Ardern’s party heading for a landslide, with 55% support to National’s 29%.

It put Ms Ardern’s approval rating as preferred prime minister at 65%.

New Zealand will hold two referendums alongside the September 19 election on legalising cannabis and allowing euthanasia.