New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has conceded his Labour party lost Saturday’s election, as voters punished the government and took the country rightwards nine months after his predecessor Jacinda Ardern suddenly resigned.
The rising cost of living dominated campaigning with voters New Zealanders ending six years of Labour Party rule, the latter half of which was dominated by the country’s strict response to the coronavirus pandemic that successfully kept infections low but battered the economy.
With 90% of votes counted on Saturday evening, the center-right National Party, led by former airline executive Christopher Luxon, had amassed around 40% of ballots, CNN affiliates RNZ and Newshub reported.
You’ll need to be more specific: who “they” are.
The government at the time opted to prioritise people’s lives over corporate profits with lockdown and mask mandates etc.
The opposition at the time, now the likely government, were quite happy to sacrifice the vulnerable to prop up corporate profits.
A gross over simplification on my part, I admit.
Background for visitors from the rest of the world. Both our major parties are conservative, one is centre-left and slighly progressive and the other centre-right and quite regressive. The only real progress we make is driven by our minor parties.
Uuh the largest corporations benefitted MASSIVELY from lockdowns, ordinary people who lost their jobs and basic freedoms suffered. Look at how Sweden handled it, very measured and successful.