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Elections called in New Zealand for Nov. 8
WELLINGTON, New Zealand: New Zealand's prime minister called elections for Nov. 8, setting a relatively long campaign period to give her Labor Party a chance to win back the many voters who have switched their loyalties to the conservative opposition. Recent opinion polls have shown that the conservative National Party has its best chance in a decade of being victorious in the South Pacific nation of about 4.1 million people.A change of government would not signal any major turnover in foreign policy, including the country's long-standing anti-nuclear stance and opposition to the Iraq war, but would indicate strong dissatisfaction with Labor after nearly 10 years in power. Prime Minister Helen Clark's government is being blamed in part for a severe economic downturn, and has been hit by scandals including campaign finance investigations into Foreign Minister Winston Peters, who leads a party that is a junior member of the ruling coalition. New Zealand politics is dominated by the two largest parties --— Labor and National —-- though the political landscape is full of smaller players that often snare significant portions of the vote. "I do believe the future of New Zealand is at stake," Clark said in a televised news conference to announce the election date. "I believe that Labor has shown through its record in office that we can be trusted with the future of New Zealand." National leader John Key did not immediately comment. Posted by: Steve White 2008-09-12 |
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