NZ election kingmaker in no hurry to pick winner

Wellington

THE kingmaker in New Zealand's general election said on Sunday he has begun talks with members of his nationalist party about who to support in a coalition government, but declined to put a time frame on a decision.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters is in a position of power after Saturday's vote, with the ruling National Party and the opposition Labour Party needing his party's support to form a government under the nation's proportional representation system.

The National Party, which has been in power for a decade, secured 46.1 per cent of the vote with 98.6 per cent of results counted by the Electoral Commission, while Labour had 35.8 per cent. NZ First took 7.5 per cent of the ballots. A final tally including overseas votes will b…