WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Tuesday that he had survived a vote on his leadership among his own party’s lawmakers, after recent slumps in the polls prompted speculation he might be ousted.
The vote, during a routine meeting of Luxon’s center-right National Party lawmakers, was held privately. Luxon emerged afterward, however, to tell reporters he had called for a confidence vote, in which he was successful.
“The last week, there has been intense media speculation about my leadership,” Luxon said, adding that he had called for a confidence vote “to put that media speculation to rest.”
He did not give a breakdown of the vote or say that it had been unanimous.
National has governed New Zealand in a right-wing coalition government since the 2023 election. Luxon, a former airline executive who entered Parliament in 2000, has led the party since 2021.
The vote among his lawmakers happened months before New Zealand’s next national election, scheduled for Nov. 7. Recent drops in the polls for National had prompted speculation from analysts that he would face a leadership challenge.
After an unusually long meeting of his caucus at Parliament in Wellington, which lasted two and a half hours, instead of the usual hour, Luxon read from a brief statement about the vote. He departed without taking questions from reporters.
While two recent New Zealand prime ministers — National’s John Key and Labour’s Jacinda Ardern — have voluntarily quit the post, it would have been extremely unusual for lawmakers to oust a sitting prime minister.
Luxon blamed reports of unrest within his part’s ranks on news outlets, but one political poll released days ago appeared to have made a discussion of leadership unavoidable. The 1News-Verian poll suggested slumping support for Luxon and for National in a hypothetical election.
The levels of support in the most recent poll implied the right-wing bloc led by his party could come in behind the left-wing bloc led by Labour if an election were held immediately, though the vote won’t occur for more than another six months.
“If the media want to keep focusing on speculation and rumor, I am not going to engage,” Luxon said Tuesday.
About the Author
