‘Jacindamania’ drives Ardern to historic win
New Zealand’s PM doubles share of vote in election seen as referendum on her coronavirus strategy
JACINDA ARDERN, New Zealand’s prime minister, has cruised to victory in a general election seen as a referendum on her coronavirus strategy.
The 40-year-old leader, who was neck and neck with the opposition before the pandemic, won 62 seats of 120, making her party the first to be able to govern alone in the 24 years since the country changed its voting system to proportional representation. She won 49 per cent of the vote, almost doubling her 25 per cent share in 2017.
At Auckland Town Hall, the Labour leader acknowledged her victory before a crowd of 1,000 people, permitted in a country with no restrictions on movement or gatherings.
“This has not been an ordinary election and it’s not an ordinary time,” Ms Ardern said amid cheers from the party faithful. “It’s been full of uncertainty and anxiety and we set out to be an antidote for that.”
Ms Ardern has implemented stringent lockdowns when breakouts of the virus occurred. Only 25 people have died from the virus in New Zealand with fewer than 2,000 infected.
During the campaign, Ms Ardern was mobbed with supporters constantly asking for photographs. Polls showed she was the most popular prime minister in modern New Zealand history. The election confirms it.
She said in accepting victory that she would govern for all New Zealanders, acknowledging Labour had taken votes from the centre-Right National Party.
Ms Ardern added that everyone was living in an “increasingly polarised world”, but the election had shown that New Zealand could listen and debate. “Elections aren’t always great at bringing people together, but they also don’t need to tear one another apart.”
Ms Ardern became Labour leader in 2017, two months before a general election. At 37, she became the youngest leader in the world, riding a wave of “Jacindamania”. She gave birth to her first child in office and traversed a stream of tragic events, including a mass shooting and a volcanic eruption.
She pledged her administration would work to transform New Zealand’s society for the better, including closing the gap between rich and poor. Those measures have not moved much but she has blamed that on having to deal with the country’s response to Covid-19.
Now, Ms Ardern says, the party has the mandate to push through that transformation and because of its majority, no need to bring other parties into the government.
National won just 27 per cent of the vote. Judith Collins, the party leader, said she had telephoned Ms Ardern and congratulated her on the “outstanding result”. But, addressing supporters in Auckland, she warned of the path ahead.
“New Zealand is now in recession,” she said. “The International Monetary Fund has stated that New Zealand on current policy settings will be in a worse economic position in five years’ time than other countries which we compare ourselves to. New Zealand is in for a tough economic ride and it is going to need better fiscal policy than we have so far seen.”
The country’s economy contracted 12.2 per cent in the June quarter – the largest drop since such records began in 1987. And it is predicted the official unemployment rate will peak at 7.8 per cent in the March quarter of 2022.
Ms Ardern appears unfazed though. “Our plan is already in action and already working. But after this result we have the mandate to accelerate our response and our recovery, and tomorrow we start,” she said.
‘New Zealand is in for a tough ride and will need better fiscal policy than we have seen so far’