New Zealand National Party set for poll win

Results from New Zealand's general election suggest the ruling National Party has won a second term., reports BBC With most of the votes now counted, the National Party was on course to win 60 seats in Parliament, official figures showed. Early results had suggested the party could form the first majority government since proportional representation was introduced in 1996. It may now have to to govern in partnership with smaller parties. The National Party currently heads a coalition with three small parties. The Green Party is also expected to make a strong showing, with support at around 12%. Preliminary results also suggest the populist New Zealand First party will perform well, returning to Parliament with 7% of the vote, surprising many observers. The polls opened at 09:00 local time on Saturday (20:00 GMT Friday) and closed at 19:00. Opinion polls before the vote had put PM John Key's party just over the 50% mark, with the opposition Labour Party on 27pc. New Zealanders were also voting on whether to keep proportional representation for the country's elections. Mr Key has promised to tackle national debt by selling stakes in state companies, while Mr Goff said he would introduce a capital gains tax and delay pension payments by two years to pay off debt. But more public attention focused on a row over the recording of a private conversation between Mr Key and a colleague after a media event. A cameraman said he left the recording device on the table by mistake. Police have since served search warrants on four media outlets seeking the material. The contents of the recording have not been disclosed. In the final stretch of campaigning on Friday, Mr Key said: "It has been a very long year if you go all the way back to the Christchurch earthquakes, everything from the World Cup to the [stricken merchant ship MV] Rena, it's been a lot happening this year." Observers say voters have warmed to Mr Key over his handling of both the Christchurch earthquakes and the deadly blast at the Pike River mine in November 2010. The election comes at the end of a turbulent 12 months for New Zealand, which was rocked by February's Christchurch earthquake, in which 181 people died, and buoyed by last month's victory in the Rugby World Cup. Key's National Party currently holds power with the support of three minor parties after defeating the centre-left Labour Party-led coalition government in the last election three years ago. However, he holds a commanding lead in opinion polls, raising the prospect National could become the first party to hold an absolute majority since New Zealand adopted its proportional voting system in 1996. Under the system the main opposition Labour Party could still win power if leader Phil Goff was able to forge an alliance with minor parties from both the left and the right. Casting his vote at an Auckland primary school, Key admitted to election-day jitters. "I feel good, like anyone, it's a mixture of excitement, anticipation and slight nervousness, but I don't think you'd be human if you didn't have that," he told reporters. When Goff voted he said he was going to watch a local Santa parade and head home for a quiet afternoon with his family. The country's economy is struggling, growing just 1.5 percent in the year to June, and both candidates have vowed to rein a record NZ$18.4 billion ($13.6 billion) deficit, which led to sovereign ratings downgrades in September. Key, a former investment banker, has maintained a high personal popularity rating in opinion polls throughout his first term, although Goff has been praised by political pundits for running a strong election campaign. Key has pledged to partially privatise state assets, including power companies, if he wins a second term, as well as tightening welfare benefits and cutting public sector jobs in a bid to reduce debt in the struggling economy. Goff's platform focuses on reforming the tax system and lifting the retirement age from 65 to 67. New Zealand, with a population of 4.4 million, has about 3,050,000 registered voters. The NZ Electoral Commission said a special voting booth was set up at New Zealand's Scott Base in Antarctica during the week to allow staff on the frozen continent to cast their votes. It said 77 booths were established around the globe for far-flung Kiwis, including Bolivia, Mexico and Papua New Guinea. The commission said a navy warship, HMNZS Canterbury, was sent to the remote Pacific atoll of Raoul Island, about 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) north-east of Auckland, to deliver voting papers to staff at a wildlife research centre. A referendum attached to this election asks New Zealanders whether they wish to change to another voting system such as first-past-the-post. Results of that poll will not be released until December 10.