New Zealand braces for knife-edge election: What you need to know

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Days ahead of New Zealand’s election, polls show the governing centre-right National Party and the opposition centre-left Labour Party neck and neck, with neither on course to win enough seats to govern alone. The outcome of the November 7 election could be decided by smaller parties under the country’s unique electoral system. New Zealand holds a general election every three years under a mixed-member proportional (MMP) system. Voters cast two ballots: one for a candidate in their local electorate and one for a party. Winning candidates in each of the country’s 71 electorates take their seats automatically. There are seven electorates reserved for Maori, New Zealand’s Indigenous people.