Wellington, Nov 6 (SocialNews.XYZ) New Zealand's ruling National Party and opposition Labour Party are locked in a tight race ahead of Saturday's general election, with the cost of living, healthcare and fuel prices topping voters' concerns, according to recent surveys.
The latest poll by The Post/Freshwater Strategy, released on Friday, put Labour slightly ahead at 30.7 per cent, against National's 26.4 per cent. Support for ACT and New Zealand First, the two governing partners, stood at 9.8 per cent and 12 per cent, respectively.
Among the opposition bloc, the Green Party was at 13 per cent, the Maori Party at 2 per cent, and the Opportunity Party, seen as a potential kingmaker, had 5.1 per cent, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The poll projected a combined 59 seats in a 120-seat parliament for the ruling coalition, two short of the 61 needed to govern on its own, compared with 55 seats for Labour, the Greens and the Maori Party.
A survey of 1,008 New Zealanders aged 18 and older, released by Ipsos, showed that the cost of living and inflation remained the biggest concern for voters, with 64 per cent naming it among their top three issues, followed by healthcare at 45 per cent and fuel prices at 31 per cent. Concern over fuel costs rose sharply from seventh to third place in the latest survey.
More than 2,300 voting places are scheduled to open nationwide on election day on Saturday, when voters will elect a new parliament under the mixed-member proportional system, in which the government is usually formed by two or more parties.
Official election results are scheduled to be declared on November 27.
More than 913,000 people have cast their votes in the first seven days of advance voting for New Zealand's 2026 general election scheduled for November 7, exceeding the number recorded at the same stage of the 2023 election.
A total of 913,762 votes were cast between October 26 and November 1, compared with 712,192 during the equivalent period in 2023, the Electoral Commission noted on November 2.
The figure represents about 24 per cent of enrolled voters, up from 19 per cent at the same point in the previous election, Radio New Zealand reported.
The busiest day so far was October 31, when more than 190,000 votes were issued. Daily advance voting numbers have exceeded those recorded on corresponding days in 2023 since voting began, the report said, adding that the current turnout remains below the 1.16 million votes recorded at the same stage of the 2020 general election.
About 600 voting places will be open each day this week ahead of the election day, when more than 2,300 voting places will operate nationwide, according to the commission.
Source: IANS
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