Ardern set to win in New Zealand's 'COVID election'

Good. Labour deserve to be restored to power.

Seems like Stockholm Syndrome to me.

Seems Kiwis are addicted to the welfare state. Nice work, socialists. Another country on the way down the drain.

Seems Kiwis are addicted to the welfare state. Nice work, socialists. Another country on the way down the drain.

To others it is a country that is at ease with itself, having found a sustainable private / state balance.

Your claims about addiction and drains are laughable and show your inability to judge anything objectively.

Ardern is being rewarded for some decent crisis management, but without COVID her government would have been toast. They failed to deliver on just about everything they promised. Over-promise and under-deliver has been their legacy to date.

To others it is a country that is at ease with itself, having found a sustainable private / state balance.

Your claims about addiction and drains are laughable and show your inability to judge anything objectively.

Joke's on you. The economy had been sputtering along before COVID, with Ardern concerned more about image than how to guide an economy.

Another leftist politician trying to keep power to control the masses in leftist doctrine.

Ardern is being rewarded for some decent crisis management, but without COVID her government would have been toast.

"If things were different, they'd be different". OK.

Another leftist politician trying to keep power to control the masses in leftist doctrine.

Er, you know that New Zealand is a democracy, right? She's "trying to keep power" by appealing to the voters. And all indications are that they think she deserves to continue to be PM of NZ.

I know that the right doesn't like the public voting. I know that you consider democracy to be "mob rule" and want a small group of elites to make all the decisions. I know that you think that the act of counting votes is "ballot harvesting".

But you are in the minority. Democracy is a good thing, and valued by most of the people who lived in democracies - and deeply envied by those who don't.

The electoral system used in NZ has to be one of the best. Two party system at least they have to try now. More representative of the whole population. And a focuss on what the people need, want rather then immovable Party doctrine. Good luck to her the 3rd female PM of NZ. The country is governed by 120 people who show respect to each other mostly.

Regardless of which side of the political fence we all sit, i think she has done a great job of steering her country through a difficult time. She deservers to be allowed to continue, as it looks like she will.

with Ardern's Labour Party enjoying a strong lead in opinion polls after a campaign light on policy detail but full of references to quashing the coronavirus.

Well done for quashing the coronavirus (twice, so far, I guess it'll be thrice before long).

But was the Labour Party campaign heavy on policy detail last time around? Is that why the (then) 37-year old able to lead them into power? (I suspect that policy doesn't matter that much.)

"Who's better placed to keep New Zealand safe and who's better placed to get us on track to recovery?" the 40-year-old asked

Indeed, New Zealand's choice to shut off the rest of the world is an interesting case, and I've been following with interest to see how they do actually recover whilst keeping away all the potentially-diseased foreign tourists.

it was enough to overcome disappointment with her failure to meet promises on issues such as housing affordability and reducing child poverty.

Hmm. Doesn't sound like policy matters, at all!

The electoral system used in NZ has to be one of the best. 

It's definitely better than something like the US system. If you are someone like me who likes smaller government, lower taxes, but also isn't racist, then it seems like it'd be tough to find anyone to vote for in the US. You either choose one terrible option (in one respect) or another terrible option (in another respect).

A multi-party style system does allow - to an extent - a little more opportunity to mix and match one's policy preferences to a party.

I hear the Swiss system amps this up to another level again. This to me would be better than electing a leader based on something like a nice smile, and overlooking their "failure to meet promises", although politicians typically do fail to meet promises, but at least you can give them some credit if they at least made some good progress.

She and her govt. have badly failed NZ's poor:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-54444643

She would've been in real trouble without Covid.

She would've been in real trouble without Covid.

The if your auntie had balls she’d be your uncle line of reasoning.

Covid is one of the most rigorous stress tests any politician has faced in recent times. Those who can, do. Those who can’t, use expressions like the ‘China virus’ spout anti-science/conspiracy theories and read the figures disingenuously.

Wheat and chaff.

@stewie

Regardless of which side of the political fence we all sit, i think she has done a great job of steering her country through a difficult time. She deservers to be allowed to continue, as it looks like she will.

Well put Stewie! Seriously, couldn’t have said it better myself. Because what’s the point in having a great economy, or whatever campaign promises you made, if you’re suffering or even dying from Covid?

This Lady is EVERYTHING trump craves to be.

Ardern is being rewarded for some decent crisis management, but without COVID her government would have been toast. They failed to deliver on just about everything they promised. Over-promise and under-deliver has been their legacy to date.

Nope. According to my cousin, they were well on the way to win even before covid. Look at their popularity - it's been very high for her entire term.

Another leftist politician trying to keep power to control the masses in leftist doctrine.

She was, and will again be, elected in a democratic election. Literally chosen by the people. And about to be re-chosen due to her successful leftist policies.

She and her party truly are a model of greatness for the world.

I will concede that her party has largely done a good job through this pandemic but that is about it.

Ardern campaigned in 2017 on fixing child poverty - it got worse in the last 3 years. They campaigned on Kiwibuild, a project to ramp up housing supply and fix housing shortages. It was a catastrophic failure. Ardern campaigned on a light rail line in Auckland, saying it would be built by 2021, it hasn't started and probably never will. Pre-COVID, the economy was limping towards recession given the business unfriendly nature of the Labour led government.

All this adulation from overseas focuses on Ardern's image and not what her government has achieved.

New Zealanders still living in true fear of Covid. There is still strong belief that she is doing the right thing by shutting down the country.

NZers watch too much tv and follow click bait news to see mass graves in Brazil and India, when the reality in these countries, people are happy and mostly going about normal life (I live in one of these places).

There is a fear in NZ that their small nation in the middle of nowhere will become a mass grave, it's just not true.

There is a fear in NZ that their small nation in the middle of nowhere will become a mass grave, it's just not true.

You're right - it's not true, because they've reigned in control of the virus, and the country won't become a mass grave. In fact, they're going on with their life as normal. Unlike people in your country who are dying of the virus. Which makes it really weird that you think you are coming from a place to criticize...

Jbigs

New Zealanders still living in true fear of Covid. There is still strong belief that she is doing the right thing by shutting down the country.

On the contrary, NZ haven't shut down the country. It's business as usual in NZ with no lockdown. New Zealanders appreciate that the small sacrifice they made has allowed this. Look at Europe now, they have gained nothing and look to be moving into an uncertain second wave.

And that, in short, is why she will win the election. Contrast that to Trump, who's handling of the pandemic has ensured that he will lose the election.

The cult of Jacinda. NZers appear to be incapable of seeing past her 'kindness'. Her government hasn't achieved a thing. They are incapable of delivering. They are evasive, defensive and lack transparency... despite their claims to be the most transparent goverment ever. Many of her front line ministers are first class hypocrites or simply just useless. Their initial covid response was probably ok, but they have now painted NZ into a corner.

about to be re-chosen due to her successful leftist policies.

Their policies have failed, but she came off well in a crisis. That's why she'll be reelected, not because of policy successes.

Who cares about politicians, it’s all about the referendum on Marijuana!!!

These people claiming that if not for her government's escellent response to covid she wouldn't be re-elected are ignoring the point that the leaders we want are those able to lead us out of a crisis. Not a simple bureaucratic manager.

That's why leaders in countries that failed in their covid response will not be re-elected. Because they're failures. And it's why Ardern's government will be re-elected. Because when the time came that we really need leaders, her government stepped up and led, effectively.

Basically those whining about how the only reason she'll get elected is because of covid are saying "the only reason she's being elected is for doing a good job at the most important time. If she hadn't had that opportunity to do a good job, she couldn't have done it".

Entirely silly logic.

@Strangerland - It's more than covid. It's more than 'kindness'. They have a track record of failure. She has had a 3 year opportunity to do a good job. Her govt had plenty of time to make progress but instead nothing has been achieved except increading benefits and middle class welfare. Housing? Worse. Poverty? Worse. Job prospects? Worse. This was BEFORE covid. As far as I'm concerned they need to show a plan to get us out of this mess. I haven't seen anything in them apart from shutting down the country and the ongoing thread of further shut downs. She's benefitting from fear. All for a virus that has ifr of 0.23% (as per peer reviewed, accepted and edited study... and then published on the WHO website).

That’s what right wingers like to claim. And yet, the country is extremely positive on her. Hmm

So how do you guys explain her popularity before Covid?

hmm?