NZ election results

[Oquist, Ben (Sen B. Brown)]

Dear All

The Greens in NZ have recorded a great result with final counting for
election night putting them on 4.86% nationally just shy of the 5% threshold
required to win seats.

In a stunning performance Greens Co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons trails the
National party in the seat of Coromandel by just 114 votes.  She hopes
'special' votes (postal and absentee) can get her across the line giving the
Greens their first single member electorate in a national parliament
anywhere in the world.

Under the NZ MMP system of proportional representation, if she wins her seat
OR the Greens national vote increases to 5% the Greens will have 6 members
in the 120 seat parliament.

In an incredibly tense election night for the Greens their nation-wide vote
hovered around the 5% figure all night.  Similarly Jeanette sometimes led
and sometimes trailed her National party opponent by just a handful of
votes. On the second last count for the night she lead by just one vote.

All eyes are now on the special votes (many from Sydney and London) to see
if they can get the Greens over the line either in Coromandel OR the 5%
threshold nationally.

Well done to the Kiwi Greens!

Ben


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Ben Oquist
Greens Senator Bob Brown
Parliament House, Canberra 2600
Australia
+61 2 62773170 ph
+61 2 62773185 fx
www.greens.org.au/bobbrown
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