National Party may choose a tripartite alliance with ACT and NZ First
Venkat Raman
Auckland, October 16, 2023
Welcome to the latest issue of Indian Newslink- our Digital Edition dated October 15, 2023.
Please read it here or click https://indiannewslink.co.nz/inl-digital-edition-october-15-2023/
Live TV Coverage
As polling entered the final hour on Saturday, October 14, 2023, Indian Newslink was in partnership with Sky Channel 83 (Face TV) to host six hours of election coverage, complete with developing stories, coverage of all key constituencies, graphs, tables and charts. Monique Bradley, Celebrity Speaker and Television Presenter and this Reporter began analysis of developments and discussions with a panel of 25 experts from various cities in New Zealand, Australia and Dubai. Ms Bradley proved her mastery in the art of broadcasting with adept time management which was reflected in her ability to respond to messages received in chat rooms, voicemails, inboxes and on social media and to provide equal time to the members of the Panel. It was a privilege to be a part of her team, which included the inimitable and hardworking Pete Ward. We also take pride in the Indian Newslink team which contributed to the success of the programme- Praneeta Mahajan, our Reporter in Hamilton, Shirish Paranjape, our Reporter in Christchurch, Daryll Garcia, our Audience Engagement Expert and Nikita Patil, our Digital Graphic Designer.
The programme was streamed live on the Indians Living in Auckland Facebook Group.
We hope to continue this exercise to promote consultative journalism and multimedia engagement from time to time as we step into the Silver Jubilee year on November 15, 2023.
Victory for National, Chris Luxon
Christopher Luxon, who led his National Party to an impressive victory in the general election which concluded last night, has promised to fulfil all the promises that he made during his campaign and in speeches around the country.
“We will fix the cost of living crisis, bring down taxes for every New Zealander. We will address the law and order situation and make our communities safer. We will deliver a better health system and provide education to our children. New Zealanders have voted for a change and my government will serve every one of them,” he said at his victory rally held in the Auckland Central Business District soon after outgoing Prime Minister Chris Hipkins called him to concede defeat.
He was accompanied by his wife Amanda, their daughter Olivia and son William. More than 1500 National Party supporters and volunteers had gathered at the venue to cheer their Leader, who is set to become the 42nd Prime Minister of New Zealand.
A sound mandate takes Luxon to the battlefield
In handing over the country to Christopher Luxon and his National Party, New Zealanders now look forward to deliverance from the precipice of division and decay that they perceived had afflicted the Nation over the past six years.
They have however denied him the luxury of an absolute majority; in fact, it is likely that Mr Luxon would have to draw upon the support of New Zealand First and its charismatic leader Winston Peters, in addition to its natural ally, the ACT Party. That is if the current configuration of seats in Parliament continues to hold after the final results are declared on November 3, 2023.
ACT’s discomfort with NZ First
ACT Party Leader David Seymour had expressed his reservations about working with Mr Peters as he sees conflicts of ideology and method of working. However, with a dual alliance looking difficult, Mr Luxon would face Hobson’s choice of seeking the support of Mr Peters and his Party.
Although the success of the National Party was a foregone conclusion orchestrated by its rising approval ratings in various Opinion Polls (including our Polls which predicted an absolute majority), the results fell short of expectations. National is expected to have 50 seats in the next (54th Parliament), 16 seats more compared to its position in the now-dissolved Parliament. Since politics is always shrouded in uncertainty, the need for an assured majority is more pronounced today.
Labour gets drubbed as New Zealand takes the right turn
Long before the General Election that concluded on Saturday, October 14, 2023, it was widely expected that the incumbent Labour Party would face the worst defeat in its history.
And so it did- with 34 seats in the forthcoming 54th Parliament, its performance was as bad as it was in the general election held in 2011.
Public anger against the Labour government and its management of almost every aspect of the economy – the cost of living, law and order, education and health – came under fire. People were becoming increasingly impatient and opinion polls have been indicating that the Party would be voted out of the Treasury benches.
New Zealanders are among the most responsible and tolerant people in the world- they vote justly and accept the results of their collective choice with grace and sometimes, resignation. Violent protests and lawlessness are uncommon in a small country where every leader is accessible with ease and is available for a decent conversation.
Labour saw its defeat coming but like the tsunami, could not stop it.
Our October 15, 2023 issue contains the usual features- Current Affairs, Politics, Education, Fiji, Business, Open-Eds, Community, Entertainment and Sports.
Please read the issue here or click https://indiannewslink.co.nz/inl-digital-edition-october-15-2023/ and share it with your family and friends.
