InternAtionAl MediA HAil NZ PM JAcindA Ardern’s Historic Win
New Zealand’s Labour party’s landslide victory on Saturday night has made history and global headlines, Jacinda Ardern’s widespread popularity capturing international interest in an election that gave the NZ Prime Minister the power to govern alone.
Ms Ardern secured her second term in a historic win on Saturday, amassing 49 per cent of the party vote and 64 seats in Parliament. Sixty-one seats are required for a party to govern without a coalition, a milestone that hasn’t been achieved in decades.
The night was full of surprises, with the Green Party MP Chlöe Swarbrick, 26, snatching the Auckland Central seat in an unprecedented victory.
The electorate, held by retiring National MP Nikki Kaye for four terms, was a battleground of epic proportions, with Labour’s Helen White in hot pursuit.
In another twist, the Maori Party’s Rawiri Waititi won the Waiariki seat from Labour’s Tamati Coffey by the slimmest of margins, the parties in a back-and-forth grapple for the top spot throughout the counting process. Meanwhile, two safe National seats - Nelson and Ilam, held by Nick Smith and Gerry Brownlee since 1996 respectively - were taken out by their Labour counterparts. The landmark election has been picked up by media across the world, with global outlets hailing the Prime Minister’s historic victory in a turbulent year. Here’s what the headlines are saying:
‘A big win driven by star power’
In a piece for BBC News, Shaimaa Khalil acknowledged the election was never going to be a nail-biter, with opinion polls comfortably placing Ms Ardern on course to secure her second term. The results just confirmed what everyone already knew, Ms Khalil said.
Labour relying on a ‘dangerous strategy’
In an article for The Guardian, two New Zealand-based journalists acknowledged the danger of Labour’s reliance on Ms Ardern’s popularity, citing Auckland University politics professor Jennifer Lees-Marshment.
‘Ardern storms to historic victory after crushing COVID’
On our shores, Opposition leader Collins is well-known for her ‘Crusher’ moniker - a name encapsulating the hardline, toughtalking persona she has cultivated. Yet according to Bloomberg, Ms Ardern is the one with the iron fist.
‘She is ascendant as the international darling of progressivism’
The Spectator journalist Nicholas Sheppard has hailed the Prime Minister as the “darling of progressivism”, acknowledging her personal appeal as a young politician exuding “emotional intelligence and empathy”.
“She is the ideal progressive persona - authentic, empathic, inclusive, durable and decisive,” Mr Sheppard wrote.