New Zealand's general election began on Saturday, with polls showing a tight race between the governing coalition led by the National Party and the Labor-led opposition.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's National Party, which came to power in the 2023 general election, is seeking a second term, while the Labor Party, led by former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, is aiming to regain power.
The more than 2,300 polling stations opened at 09:00 local time and were scheduled to close at 19:00. Advance voting had already been open since October 26. Each voter casts two ballots — one for a political party and one for a candidate in their electoral district.
Voters are deeply concerned about the cost of living, economic growth, employment and public services. Opinion polls suggest neither of the two major camps is expected to win an absolute majority, meaning smaller parties could play a decisive role in forming the next government.
The Electoral Commission is expected to release preliminary results on Saturday evening, with the official count due on November 27.
Voting begins in New Zealand's general election
Russia said on Friday that security guarantees for Russia and Ukraine involve Europe, making dialogue necessary, though Europe has yet to decide who will speak for it.
Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that the Ukraine issue concerns Europe's future security architecture, making dialogue with the European side necessary.
However, he noted that the EU has faced difficulties in coordinating its actions and has so far failed to determine who has the authority to represent it in such talks, even as the bloc made clear that any peace deal would need its participation to be implemented.
Responding to U.S. President Donald Trump's statement on Thursday about reaching "a big agreement" to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict that would extend beyond Ukraine to cover Europe as a whole, Peskov said there were currently no relevant details to disclose.
Kaja Kallas, EU foreign policy chief, said on Friday that while it remains impossible to determine when and how a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia will be reached, the implementation of any such deal requires EU involvement.
Kallas noted that issues such as Ukraine's security guarantees, post-war reconstruction, EU accession, and sanctions against Russia cannot bypass the EU, adding that Europe already has a security architecture with NATO and the EU playing distinct roles, and Ukraine must be integrated into this framework.
On the same day, European Commission chief spokesperson Paula Pinho expressed hope for a near-term agreement between Russia and Ukraine, while stressing that much work remains to be done to achieve that goal. She also welcomed the resumption of talks related to the Ukraine issue.
Russia, EU stress Europe’s role in Russia-Ukraine security issue
