New Zealand coalition holds a one-seat projected majority

New Zealand’s preliminary election count gives Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s National-led coalition 67 of a projected 131 parliamentary seats, just enough for a majority, but the result remains unsettled ahead of the final count on November 27.

The Electoral Commission said special votes, including ballots cast overseas and outside voters’ electorates, were still to be counted. The final tally could change the seat allocation and determine whether National can govern with its current partners, ACT and New Zealand First. Luxon is to lead a caretaker government until a government is formed.

Luxon said it was feasible for National to build a government with its existing partners on the current numbers. He did not declare victory. Labour leader Chris Hipkins also did not claim to have won. The left-leaning bloc was projected to hold 57 seats, short of a majority, while the National-led bloc’s projected margin was one seat above the 66 required.

The centrist Opportunity Party, led by Qiulae Wong, appeared likely to enter Parliament and could become important if the final count removes the coalition’s majority. One account put the party at seven projected seats and reported that...