In case anyone hadn’t had enough campaigning just days out from the election, the political chit chat has now turned to the prospect of a second general election.
But why are party leaders even talking about such a prospect? And what would need to happen for that second election to become a reality?
Let’s take a look.
We haven’t had the first election yet. Why are we even talking about this?
Poll results have suggested for a few weeks now that neither National nor Labour and their usual coalition buddies would have the necessary 61 seats to form a government.
This means NZ First could potentially hold the balance of power after October 14.
This has ratcheted up tensions ahead of the election, with Labour and NZ First ruling out working with each other, and National saying it would form a coalition with NZ First if it had to.
But yesterday, National’s campaign chair Chris Bishop told the NZ Herald that the possibility of a hung parliament – where the left and right blocs each have 60 seats – was growing.
“The second scenario is when there is essentially a hung parliament and NZ First is in the middle, but it is impossible to do a deal between National, ACT and NZ First. That is a very real and growing possibility and that would necessitate, essentially, a second election,” he said.
“We [National] are concerned there would be an inability to strike a deal in the interests of the country.”
How have the other parties taken these comments?
Labour leader Chris Hipkins has attacked the notion of a second election as “chaos”.
“There is no justification for another general election before a general election has even happened,” he told media yesterday.
Hipkins added Labour had been clear it wouldn’t work with NZ First or Winston Peters after the election.
“[National leader] Christopher Luxon is the person who has left this door wide open. We ruled out working with Winston Peters some months ago. The fact that Christopher Luxon has breathed life into the New Zealand First campaign is really a question for him,” he said.
“We’ve made it very clear we won’t be working with New Zealand First or Winston Peters ... I’m not the one talking about an extra general election, that’s Christopher Luxon’s threat to New Zealanders.”
Winston Peters told Morning Report today comments about a potential second election were “scaremongering” and a sign of “some people ... panicking”.
But Luxon has denied Bishop’s comments were scaremongering.
He said a potential hung parliament “could be one of the complexities that emerges, one of the uncertainties that emerges on the other side of an election”.
He told Morning Report he backed his ability to form a coalition.
“I’ll make it work with whatever New Zealand delivers for us.”
But could we really have a second election?
If no parties can form a majority and have the support to win a confidence vote in the House, then another election would be required.
However, there is more than one way to skin a cat when it comes to forming a government under MMP, so some more creative arrangements could take place if needed. Big parties could have arrangements with smaller parties where they could vote for supply, for example.
There is no fixed way of forming a government in New Zealand, so long as parties do have that confidence and supply.
Let’s also not forget that parties who vowed not to work together before an election might also decide they do have some common ground for a coalition deal after all once the votes are in.
SHARE ME