New Zealand center-right 67 seats preliminary count... about 400,000 special votes remaining

New Zealand’s center-right National Party, ACT, and New Zealand First won a combined 67 of 131 seats in the preliminary November 7 election count, one seat above the 66-seat majority threshold, but government formation remains unconfirmed with about 400,000 special votes still to be counted. National won 42 seats, ACT 13, and New Zealand First 12, while Labour took 36, the Greens 16, Te Pāti Māori 5, and the Opportunity Party 7. Labour led the party vote with 29.36% to National’s 29.21%, even though National secured six more seats, highlighting the gap between vote share and seat allocation. The result matters because the center-right bloc’s narrow preliminary majority could shift once special votes are tallied, potentially altering the seat count and coalition arithmetic. What to watch next is the Electoral Commission’s final count, including the roughly 400,000 special votes, which will determine whether the three-party right bloc holds its majority and can form a government.