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New Zealand Electoral Commission declared the official results for the 2017 general election on Saturday while a winner is still pending after the Sept. 23 elections left the ruling party and opposition coalition in a draw.
The revised results after counting special votes showed that the ruling National Party had lost two seats settling at 56 to opposition Labor Party and its staunch ally Green Party that now has 54 seats in the 120-seat Parliament.
The deuce leaves the far-right New Zealand First Party the king maker in the competition, as the 72-year-old veteran politician Winston Peters with nine seats in the Parliament enjoyed the power to maneuver the whole game as of now.
Winston Peters, leader of the New Zealand First Party, speaks during a media conference in Wellington, New Zealand, Sept. 27, 2017.
Popular views believed Peters would choose National Party eventually, given the voters' say, though he started negotiations with both sides this week in an insouciant manner.
However, a 56-54 result may have freed Peters from the risk of offending majority will of voters, making Labor Party's leader Jacinda Ardern's chance to organize the next government a possibility.
The center-right National Party, led by Prime Minister Bill English, has governed since 2008 by a minority government with confidence and supply from the Maori, ACT and United Future parties.
New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English speaks to supporters during an election night event in Auckland, New Zealand, Sept. 23, 2017.
ACT has secured one seat in 2017 elections, and Maori Party has been left out of the Parliament this time.
New Zealand has adopted a Mixed Member voting system, which gives voters two votes: one for a political party and one for their local electorate MP.
Parties receive seats in Parliament in proportion to their party vote share while seats are filled firstly by winning electorate candidates and secondly by candidates on the party's list.
Electoral Commission said the total number of votes cast is 2,630,173, among which 47 percent were cast in advance.
Meanwhile, the turnout as a percentage of enrolled electors was 79.8 percent, the highest since 2005, while the final enrollment rate is 92.4 percent.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
