NEW Zealand will have a liberal government under challenger Jacinda Ardern after a small party said it would join her coalition following the election nearly a month ago.
At 37, Ardern will be the nation’s youngest leader for more than 150 years. She has been compared to other young, charismatic leaders such as President Emmanuel Macron in France and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Canada.
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said his party’s choice was either “a modified status quo” with the incumbent conservatives or a choice for change.
The liberal Green Party will support the coalition but will not be part of the government.
New Zealanders have been waiting since the election on September 23 to find out who will govern after the polling ended without a clear winner.
The policies of New Zealand First are nationalistic and eclectic. Peters wants to drastically reduce immigration and stop foreigners from buying farms. He opposes plans by the incumbent National Party to increase the pension age and plans by Ardern’s Labour Party to tax certain water users.
New Zealand First is expected to extract policy concessions and some ministerial posts by joining the Labour coalition.
Under New Zealand’s proportional voting system, larger parties must typically form alliances with smaller parties to govern.
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