New Zealand PM survives caucus confidence vote, retains party leadership

Wellington: New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has survived a caucus confidence vote on Wednesday and will remain leader of the governing National Party, after an hours-long caucus meeting in the capital Wellington.

Luxon said that he had survived the confidence vote with the “full support” of his caucus and confirmed he would remain National Party leader at a press conference at parliament.

The confidence vote came less than 90 days before New Zealand’s general election, putting renewed focus on Luxon’s leadership as the governing party prepares for the campaign, reports Xinhua news agency.

He called the meeting amid speculation that his leadership was coming under pressure following a series of missteps and clashes, including his “parent-child” comment on businesses, his use of a military plane for travel to Auckland, and his idea of holding a referendum on the mixed-member proportional electoral system if reelected.

This was the second confidence vote Luxon has faced since becoming prime minister, with the first held in April.

After surviving the vote, Luxon underlined the need for the National Party to defeat the Labor-led opposition in the country’s next general election, scheduled for November 7.

National’s support rate was 31 per cent in a Taxpayers’ Union-Curia poll released on August 7, up 0.5 percentage points from its previous poll, with the National-led coalition projected to retain a narrow parliamentary majority.

The main opposition Labor Party fell 3.7 points to 27.8 per cent.

The poll was conducted by Curia Market Research for the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union between Aug. 1 and Aug. 4, surveying 1,000 eligible and likely voters. It has a maximum margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, according to the Taxpayers’ Union.

However, a Radio New Zealand-Reid Research poll in July put National at 28.7 per cent, its lowest level since Luxon became party leader in 2021.

IANS