In brief
In early Sunday, New Zealand’s National‑led coalition won a narrow majority with 67 of 131 seats, while the Labor‑Green‑Maori bloc holds 57 seats. One hundred seven overhang seats raised the total to 131. The final outcome will hinge on 700,000 special votes expected to be counted by 27 November.
Early Sunday, Xinhua reported that New Zealand’s ruling National‑led coalition secured a parliamentary majority in the 2026 general election, giving Prime Minister Christopher Luxon a likely second term.
According to the Election Commission’s preliminary tally, the three‑party coalition—National, ACT New Zealand and New Zealand First—has won 67 of the 131 seats in the now‑expanded chamber, while the opposition bloc of the Labor Party, the Green Party and the Maori Party has 57 seats.
Luxon addressed supporters in Auckland, saying the election was "too close to call" and that the final outcome will depend on the 700,000 special votes that have not yet been counted.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon
"The election is too close to call. We still need to wait for the special votes to be counted," he said.
With 29.3 percent of the preliminary vote, the National Party and the Labor Party were neck‑and‑neck, each securing just under 30 percent of the popular vote. The Green Party won a record 16 seats and the centrist Opportunity Party is projected to win seven seats.
New Zealand uses a mixed‑member proportional voting system. Voters cast one ballot for a political party and another for their local electorate candidate. The total of seats in the parliamentary chamber will be adjusted to 131 after the overhang of 11 seats. The Electoral Commission expects to release the official final results, including special votes, on November 27.
