NZ PM presses claim to form government as rival refuses to concede defeat
Wellington
NEW Zealand Prime Minister Bill English has claimed a mandate to form the next government after winning the biggest slice of the vote in Saturday's election, even as opposition leader Jacinda Ardern refuses to concede defeat.
While Mr English's ruling National Party fell short of a majority and will need the support of the nationalist New Zealand First Party to govern, it got 46 per cent of the vote compared to 35.8 per cent for Ms Ardern's Labour Party. She would need to engineer a three-way coalition also involving the Green Party to oust Mr English from office.
BT is now on Telegram!
For daily updates on weekdays and specially selected content for the weekend. Subscribe to t.me/BizTimes
International
Sri Lanka’s economy expected to grow 3% in 2024, central bank says
Yellen says US can bring inflation down without hurting jobs
US dollar briefly falls versus yen after GDP data
US weekly jobless claims unexpectedly fall
US economic growth slows more than expected in Q1
Malaysia ex-PM Mahathir facing anti-graft probe in a case involving his sons