Exciting election campaign in New Zealand

wellington - New Zealanders went to the polls on Saturday to elect a new parliament. It is one of the most exciting elections in the country's recent history.

The battle between the ruling center-right National Party of Bill English and the opposition party Labor of Jacinda Ardern will be a neck-to-neck race according to the polls. Both parties are not expected to reach a majority of the votes and are likely to fall back on smaller parties to form a coalition. Negotiations with those smaller parties are expected to take weeks.

The polling stations closed at 19.00 (09.00 Dutch time). The official results will be published in two weeks.

The National Party and Labor have dominated politics in New Zealand for years. From 1990 to 1999, the National Party was in power, after which Labor ruled 9 years, after which it was again the National Party.