New Zealand Parliament Election Vote What is Ardern's evaluation?
October 17, 6:13
The parliamentary elections will be held in New Zealand on the 17th, and the focus will be on whether the ruling and Labor parties led by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who are evaluated for their response to the new coronavirus, can win a majority by themselves.
The New Zealand parliamentary elections were originally scheduled to take place last month, but have been postponed due to the effects of the new coronavirus and will be voted on from 5 am on the 17th of Japan time.
In the last election three years ago, the Labor Party, which was the largest opposition party, increased its votes and formed a coalition with the New Zealand First Party to change the government for the first time in nine years, and Mr. Ardern, who was the representative, became prime minister.
Following the shooting of an Islamic mosque in southern Christchurch last March, which killed 51 people, Ardern called for solidarity across religious and ethnic differences and tightened gun control.
In addition, in order to prevent the spread of the new corona virus, immigration restrictions were tightened from an early stage, and strict restrictions on going out in Japan were introduced, which has been evaluated as having achieved certain results in controlling the infection. ..
In this election, the ruling party and the Labor Party have set out measures to create jobs and support small and medium-sized enterprises to recover the economy affected by the new coronavirus, while the largest opposition party and the National Party are also female leaders. We are appealing for economic recovery measures such as tax cuts.
According to local media, the latest approval rating is 46% for the Labor Party and 31% for the Kuomintang, and the focus is on whether the Labor Party can win the majority alone.
Voting will be closed at 3:00 pm on the 17th of Japan time and will be counted on the same day, and it is expected that a large number will be revealed on the night of the 17th.
Inaugurated at 37 years old Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardan, 40, took office at the young age of 37 after a change of government in the last 2017 parliamentary elections.
Well (2018), after giving birth to the first child, the active prime minister took maternity leave for the first time in the world and became a hot topic.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is committed to the realization of a diverse society that transcends religious and ethnic differences.
In the case of a Muslim mosque being shot dead in southern Christchurch last March, when he met his bereaved family, he covered his hair with a scarf like a Muslim woman and showed respect for Islamic society. We promised to ensure the safety of our followers and to protect our freedom of religion.
We also tightened gun control and promoted the purchase of guns by the government.
Strict measures are also taken when dealing with corona
This year, attention was also paid to the response to the new coronavirus.
In early February, when no infected person had been confirmed in Japan, measures to ban the entry of foreigners from China, where the infection was widespread at that time, were started ahead of other countries, and in March, the target was from all countries. In addition to expanding to foreigners in China, we also took strict measures such as restrictions on going out in Japan.
During the out-of-home restrictions, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern frequently broadcast live on Facebook, answering questions directly from the public about measures to prevent the spread of infection, and his attitude of being close to people was highly evaluated.
In the election campaign, live distribution will be carried out from the venue of the rally to call for support, and in the meantime, the people will be explained about the measures against the new coronavirus and the state of their own child-rearing will be introduced with photos to make them familiar. It was appealing.
On the other hand, regarding measures against the new coronavirus, there was a backlash from the business community that "the blockade of borders is stricter than in other countries", and other issues such as poverty are being pursued by measures to prevent the spread of infection. It has been pointed out that it was not possible to come up with an effective method for this.
Supporters appreciate corona support
Educational consultant Chelsea Glutebeld, 43, who lives in the capital Wellington, is one of the supporters of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Regarding Ardern's response to the new coronavirus, Mr. Ardern said, "I was very worried about the spread of the infection in Europe and the United States, but since Ardern talked to the people, I feel that we are safe. It was possible. It was a very powerful response to the crisis of the leader. "
He said that he made it a daily routine to watch the Prime Minister's Facebook live stream. "One day, the Prime Minister seemed to be very tired, so he said,'How are you? Your child is also fine? Take care of yourself. I sent a message saying "Please attach", and I received a reply saying "Thank you". "
And, "I feel that politics becomes familiar to me by feeling connected to the Prime Minister on SNS, and I feel that I am also involved in the politics of the country. I ask Prime Minister Ardern to take responsibility for New Zealand. It is an important role of the people to keep throwing. "
Expert "Gentleness but also determination"
Professor Jennifer Curtin of the University of Auckland, who specializes in New Zealand politics, described the strength of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as "a politics that continues to use words with" kindness "and" compassion "and uses aggressive words. He has shown that he is not interested in it. On the other hand, he has a strong determination to do it whenever he decides to do it. "
He also explained about the method of communicating with the people using SNS, "It is an effective way to make voters think that the prime minister is a person who is very similar to them. People want to know the true picture of politicians. It came to my mind and led to strong support. "
On top of that, for the past three years, we have been busy responding to sudden events such as mosque shootings and countermeasures against the new coronavirus, so if the Labor Party decides to maintain power in this election, it will be a domestic issue. He cites reforms such as domestic violence, child poverty, and environmental problems, saying that it will be necessary to promote more concrete policies.