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New Zealand gets a conservative government with the participation of the populist New Zealand First party. Six weeks after the general election, the winner – multi-millionaire Christopher Luxon’s National Party – has agreed a three-party alliance with the right-wing liberal ACT and NZ First, known for its anti-immigrant positions. The Pacific state has been governed by the social democratic Labor Party for the past six years, initially under Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and, after her surprise resignation in January, by Chris Hipkins.

Luxon (53) will become the next prime minister of the Pacific state. He will be sworn in on Monday. Under the deal, NZ First leader Winston Peters will serve as deputy leader for the first 18 months of the three-year term and will then be replaced by ACT leader David Seymour, coalition partners announced on Friday. Peters will also become Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Together the parties have 67 seats in the 122-member parliament. The National Party and ACT alone won only 59 seats, which was not the required majority. The agreement was preceded by “long, difficult and complicated discussions”, Peters emphasizes (78). The National Party in particular scored points in the election campaign with promises of tax cuts, while New Zealand First mainly attracted attention with anti-immigrant slogans. (sda/dpa)