New Zealand First delays decision on forming a new government
By
Tom Peters
14 October 2017
Three weeks after the September 23 election, the make-up of New Zealand’s next government is still undecided and a sense of crisis is engulfing the political establishment.
The Labour and Green Parties together have 54 seats, while the incumbent National Party has 56—below the 61 seats needed for a majority. Over the past week, Labour and National have both held highly secretive negotiations on forming a coalition with the right-wing and anti-immigrant New Zealand First, which received just 7.2 percent of the vote and won 9 seats.
On Wednesday, NZ First leader Winston Peters, designated the “King Maker” by the media, declared he would not announce a decision on Thursday as he previously indicated. Instead, NZ First’s board of directors and caucus will assemble on Monday to discuss the alternatives and inner-party talks will continue until a consensus is reached.
The extraordinary delay points to profound divisions within NZ First over whether to join National or a Labour-Greens alliance. The party was previously part of a National-led government in the mid-1990s and supported a Labour-led one between 2005 and 2008.
There is considerable nervousness in the corporate media that whatever government is formed as a result of the anti-democratic backroom machinations will have no legitimacy. Apart from Peters and NZ First deputy leader Ron Mark, none of the party’s 14 board members are elected. One Fairfax journalist wrote: “The next government won’t be decided by voters—but by a faceless and secretive board.” A New Zealand Herald columnist commented: “Why bother voting? The election results are irrelevant.”
Before the election there was already considerable…