New Zealanders head to polls on final day of voting

Here is the latest breaking news from around the world: More than half of New Zealand’s voters cast early ballots in the tightly contested race. Polls have opened on the final day of voting in New Zealand against a backdrop of concerns over the rising cost of living and the broader state of the economy. Polling stations opened at 9am on Saturday (20:00 GMT Friday) and close at 7pm (06:00 GMT Saturday).

Voting already began on October 26. 6 million voters, out of nearly 3. 8 million in total, had cast their ballots by the end of Thursday, according to the country’s Electoral Commission.

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The country has strict laws banning any talk of politics on election day. The 19-hour election day blackout, which ends when polling places close on Saturday evening, bars everyone, including political parties, news outlets and social media users, from commenting on likely election outcomes, campaign issues and anything else that might encourage or discourage people from voting in a particular way. Billboards and advertising must be removed.

Bumper stickers, T-shirts and even social media profile pictures are also covered by the law. Breaches of the law can incur a fine of up to 20,000 New Zealand dollars ($11,000). Opinion polls ahead of the tightly contested election suggest the governing centre-right National Party and the opposition centre-left Labour Party neck and neck, with neither on course to win enough seats to govern alone.

New Zealand’s Electoral Commission aims to release preliminary results from 95 percent of polling stations by the end of election night on Saturday. A final result, which will reflect ballots cast by New Zealanders abroad, is expected by November 27.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.