Chlöe Swarbrick holds on to Auckland Central seat after special vote count

November 6, 2020

With 31 per cent of votes counted, Swarbrick was ahead by 400 votes.

Special votes have seen Green MP Chlöe Swarbrick hold on to the Auckland Central seat, the first electorate seat win for her party since 1999.

Swarbrick extended her lead over Labour's Helen White to win by 1,068 votes, she had been leading by just under 500 votes before the final result came in.

The victory is one of the most notable underdog stories of this year's election, with the 26-year-old having been previously expected to run third to White and National’s Emma Mellow.

“People want there to be a strong Green Party at the heart of the next governmental formation,” Swarbrick said on election night after results came in.

“This is the campaign we always dreamed of. I’m so proud of everyone who is here. We’ve put our heart and our soul into it.”

She was less successful in the cannabis referendum, which despite the result tightening with special votes, failed at 50.7% No and 48.4% Yes.

The Greens have 10 seats in Parliament and on the weekend, Green Party delegates voted to accept the proposed cooperation agreement with Labour.

The agreement is far less specific than the 2017 coalition and supply agreement.

While the Prime Minister is heralding the stability of it, three former Green MPs have told 1 NEWS of their disappointment with the agreement.

Part of that was reflected in the appointment of just two ministers. The Green Party held three in the last Government.

Other areas the agreement touches on is possibly extending the Parliamentary term from three to four years, a move Jacinda Ardern called a “significant issue”.

"There is reference in it to the Labour Government’s intention to work with political parties from across Parliament on issues affecting our democracy – specifically the Electoral Commission's 2012 recommended changes to MMP, changes to electoral finance law and the length of the parliamentary term," she said.

After the agreement was signed, Ardern told media a potential coalition deal was “not in my mind at all” and she wanted to acknowledge the mandate Labour was given by voters.

“On election night I said I wanted to govern for all New Zealanders and to reach as wide a consensus on key issues as possible,” she said.

“This agreement does that while honouring the mandate provided to Labour to form a majority Government in our own right.

“This agreement balances these two objectives while not committing to a more formal coalition or confidence and supply arrangement.”

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