Jacinda Ardern On Track For A 'Historic' Election Win Tomorrow

Jacinda Ardern is looking at the possibility of a 'historic' win tomorrow as New Zealanders head to the polls for the general election.

The Labour leader is sitting comfortably in front of her National Party opponent, Judith Collins, and her party is on track for victory.

According to Reuters, if the Prime Minister pulls off a win tomorrow, it will be 'historic' because it will be the first time the country has had a pure left-leaning government since 1999.

Polls suggested Ardern's party was going to clinch New Zealand's first outright majority government since the country adopted a proportional voting system in 1996. However, updated surveys now suggest she might have to garner support from the Green Party.

Regardless, if it's outright or a coalition, it looks like Ms Ardern will win.

The Prime Minister has been praised for her response to the Christchurch terror attack last year and her handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Former Prime Minister Helen Clark said: "It is hard to see an election outcome which does not return Jacinda Ardern as Prime Minister.

"The election occurs in the context of the pandemic, and her response to it has been highly rated.

"In a world where the news cycle focuses a lot on the latest utterances of the world's populist and authoritarian leaders, Jacinda Ardern represents a refreshing and sharp point of difference."

However, while her country has eliminated the threat of the virus for now, the road ahead looks far more rocky. Massive unemployment, a possible recession and waning government subsidies have cast doubt on whether the Labour Party will be able to handle the economic fallout that has resulted from the pandemic.

Ardern's rival has gained some traction in the final weeks leading up to the election by focusing on this very issue.

Judith Collins has warned that a full left-leaning government could cause issues for businesses and taxes might have to be introduced to help the economy get back up and running.

In addition to New Zealanders voting on who they want to lead the country, they will also cast their ballot on two very important referendums.

Kiwis will get the chance to decide whether they want to make cannabis possession and use legal and whether they want euthanasia rights.

Both topics have caused a massive stir and it appears the former issue is split pretty evenly down the middle. It will all come down to a few deciding votes on the day.

Topics: New Zealand, News

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie