New Zealand preliminary vote leaves unclear who will govern

National Party leader Christopher Luxon (R) greets supporters as he arrives at the National Party 2026 election night event at the Viaduct Events Center in Auckland on Saturday. | AFP-JIJI

Reuters

Nov 8, 2026

WELLINGTON – New Zealanders were unlikely to gain much clarity on Sunday over who will govern the country for the next three years, after overnight results gave the National-led coalition a slim majority, with around 14% of votes still to count.

Electoral Commission preliminary results showed coalition partners National, ACT and New Zealand First with 67 of the currently projected 131-seat parliament. Sixty-six seats are needed for a majority.

However, the commission said special votes, around 14% of the total vote, still need to be counted. These votes include those from overseas New Zealanders and people voting outside their electorate and have historically favored the left. These will be released with the final count on November 27.

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