Winston Peters, leader of the New Zealand First party, officially announced today, Thursday 19 October, that his party would enter into a post-electoral coalition with the Labour Party, hence making Jacinda Ardern the next prime minister of the country. “Most people wanted change and we’ve responded to that,” said Peters.

New Zealand was waiting to discover its leader since 23 September, when the population headed to the polls for the general election. However, neither of the two main parties, the National Party and the Labour Party, managed to win the 61-seat majority required to form the next government of New Zealand.

The easiest option for Peters was to side with the National Party led by incumbent prime minister, Bill English. The National Party won 56 seats with 44.4% of the vote. It would have eased past the required majority with the help of New Zealand First’s nine seats. Peters chose the most challenging route with Ardern’s Labour Party.

Given that the Labour Party only won 46 seats, New Zealand First’s nine seats would still have left them short of the required majority. However, the Labour Party also has an agreement with the Green Party, which won eight seats during the general election. That will lead to a ruling coalition of three parties with Ardern as the prime minister.

The National Party was previously expected to obtain an easy victory but that was before Jacindamania hit New Zealand. Jacinda Ardern took the reins of the Labour Party on 1 August 2017, becoming its youngest ever leader at only 37. It was suggested that the Labour Party was looking towards the future with this appointment. Yet, she has proven to be extremely popular with the local population and she has shot to international fame within weeks.

With her populist appeal compared to that of Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labour Party in the UK, Ardern led her party to a stunning comeback in the polls. Corbyn was even filmed wishing her good luck ahead of the general election back in September. “Jacinda all the best in the election, make sure you do it for all of us,” he said.

Following her appointment as leader of the Labour Party, the headquarters were inundated by donations. According to a Labour Party official, donations even reached around NZ$700 per minute at one point.