Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Party wins New Zealand election

Labour Party supporters cheer as they watch the results come in for the general election on Oct. 17, 2020. (AAP Image via Reuters)

New Zealand’s election was delayed by a month after new COVID-19 infections in Auckland, that led to a second lockdown in the country’s largest city. (AP)

• Labour has 49 percent of the vote and its ally the Green Party has 7.6 percent

AUCKLAND: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Party overwhelmingly won the country’s general election on Saturday, her opponent Judith Collins said.

“To Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who I have phoned, congratulations on your result because it is, I believe, an outstanding result for the Labour Party,” Collins said in a televised speech.

With a quarter of the vote still to be counted, Labour has 49 percent of the vote and its ally the Green Party has 7.6 percent, with Collins’ National Party holding 27 percent.