Comments on: New Zealand election minus 16 days

By: ltep

ltep — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 23:54:33 +0000

Martin B, of course not all party leaders come from electorates. Don Brash was elected via party list. I think it would paint a bad message if leaders dropped out of their electorate seat, it would create the image they think they are above needing to campaign for the personal support of people.

By: Oz

Oz — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 23:51:37 +0000

The PM and Op Leader have pretty big jobs and effectively represent national constituencies - what’s the point of having them doing electorate-level work as well? (Or more realistically outsourcing electorate-level work to someone else.)

I presume it has something to do with them being high-profile and thus drawing a bigger party vote?

By: ltep

ltep — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 23:51:32 +0000

For minor parties if they win an electorate seat they don’t need to meet the 5% threshold. This means if they stand their top candidate in an electorate seat and win that seat then they don’t need to get over 5% to have the chance of electing other members.

Winston Peters lost Tauranga at the last election but managed to stay in from the party list vote. The party is hoping he will re-win Tauranga so that they don’t need to be so worried about gaining over 5%

By: Martin B

Martin B — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 23:43:56 +0000

Hmm, but why do most of the top candidates stand for electorates? Is it a prestige thing, or a remanant of people’s history in parliament?

The PM and Op Leader have pretty big jobs and effectively represent national constituencies – what’s the point of having them doing electorate-level work as well? (Or more realistically outsourcing electorate-level work to someone else.)

By: dovif

dovif — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 23:41:36 +0000

That is stupid, if your electorate does not even want you, you should not be in parliament

By: Adam in Canberra

Adam in Canberra — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 09:47:01 +0000

That’s how it works in Germany too. In 1998 Helmut Kohl lost his seat at Ludwigshaven, but it didn’t matter because he was top of the CDU ticket for his state.

By: mrodowicz

mrodowicz — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 07:35:22 +0000

Martin B @54

Electorate candidates and list candidates are not mutually exclusive. Virtually all the larger parties have their leaders as either incumbents of a electorate seat or challengers to an electorate seat, as well as being at the top of the party list. So even if they lose their electorate seat, they will still get up on the party list seat.

Obviously, the candidates lower on the party list ranks will be hoping that as many of the electorate candidates who are also above them on the party list will be elected at the electorate level, so as to give them (the lower ranked candidates) a better chance of getting up.

By: Adam in Canberra

Adam in Canberra — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 07:33:43 +0000

Things still seem to be very tight, although National seems to be favoured.
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/national-stays-strong-nz-first-could-cause-upset-37066

By: Martin B

Martin B — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 23:31:56 +0000

But what’s the practice? Do the larger parties generally select the list candidates from their electoral candidates? ie do the intended top-of-the-list candidates get sent off to unwinnable seats? or are they completely separate?

By: Oz

Oz — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 23:17:54 +0000

63 electorates, 7 Maori seats and 50 list seats.