Jacinda Ardern On Course to Win Big in New Zealand General Election

WELLINGTON, KOMPAS.com – Jacinda Ardern is set to win the New Zealand general election especially after her success in containing Covid-19 in the country.

Nearly 1,000 university students, without masks, gave the Prime Minister a Rockstar reception during her final Wellington campaign rally this week.

Jacinda Ardern herself was without a face mask and happily posed for selfies, rubbing shoulders alongside dozens of young supporters.

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The scene would spark outrage almost anywhere else in the world, but not in New Zealand after Jacinda Ardern led the country to be one of the most successful in containing the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

Wearing face masks and practicing social distancing are no longer mandatory in the country and it is such achievements upon which Ardern has staked her political future in Saturday's New Zealand general election.

"When people ask, is this a Covid election, my answer is yes, it is," the charismatic center-left leader said when launching her bid for another three-year term.

Indications so far are that the strategy is working, with Ardern's Labour Party enjoying a strong lead in opinion polls after a campaign light on policy detail but full of references to quashing the coronavirus.

"Who's better placed to keep New Zealand safe and who's better placed to get us on track to recovery?" the 40-year-old asked during a debate with Judith Collins, leader of the main opposition National Party.

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New Zealand has recorded just 25 Covid-19 deaths in a population of five million and its response has been singled out for praise by the World Health Organization.

Aside from closed borders and a pandemic-induced recession, everyday life on the South Pacific nation is near-normal, as unrestricted crowds flock to sporting events and bars without fear of infection.

'All about the Covid'

The pandemic upended the election, which was initially poised as a cliffhanger, with some criticizing Ardern's policy shortcomings while others praised her leadership after last year's Christchurch mosques terrorist attack in which 51 people died.

The students cheering in Wellington on Tuesday said the Covid-19 crisis had reinforced their support for Ardern.