New Zealand opposition wins vote

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New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark has admitted defeat in a general election and says she will step down as leader of the Labour Party, reports BBC.
John Key's centre-right opposition National Party won 45 per cent of the vote, against 34 per cent for Labour, according to preliminary results.
Election officials say this will give National 59 seats, just short of the 61 needed for a majority in parliament. National's win ends nine years in power for Mrs Clark and Labour. National could now look to the Maori Party to form a government, analysts say.
According to official figures, National is set to win 59 seats, Labour 43 and their allies the Greens, with 6 per cent of the vote, eight, in the 120-seat parliament.
I will be standing down and I will be expecting my Labour Party colleagues to elect a new leader before Christmas.
Mr Key said "hundreds and thousands" of people across the country had "voted for change".
"Today, New Zealanders have voted for action, for a safer, more prosperous and more ambitious New Zealand," he was quoted by AFP as saying.
Mrs Clark said she accepted responsibility for the result and her job as leader of the Labour Party was complete.
"I will be standing down and I will be expecting my Labour Party colleagues to elect a new leader before Christmas," she told reporters.
The country's economic recession loomed large in the campaign. But few major policy shifts are expected once the new government takes over, analysts say.
Both Labour and National had promised tax cuts and extra spending, amid fears that the global credit crisis will hit New Zealand hard.
About three million people were registered to vote - a record number for the country - and early reports suggested turnout was high.
Since the country introduced proportional voting in 1996, neither of the big parties has won an outright majority and they have always relied on the support of minor parties.
While National can look to allies in the centre and on the right, it may have to seek the backing of the Maori Party, which is expected to retain its four seats in the 120-seat parliament.
Among Maori demands are the repeal of a law preventing Maoris from claiming rights to the foreshore and seabed, and greater control over government spending on indigenous programmes to prevent waste.
"We'll decide totally based on... what we are able to advance for our people," said Maori Party leader Tariana Turia. Any deal, she added, would "come at a cost".
Mr Key has said he will be willing to strike a deal with the Maori Party, even though he said his party "diametrically opposed" some of its policies.