Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday congratulated his New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Adron on her second term. PM Modi said he hoped to work together to take bilateral relations to a higher level.
“Congratulations to the Prime Minister of New Zealand, O’Keefe, on his victory. “Remember our last meeting a year ago and look forward to working together to take India-NZ relations to a higher level,” Modi said on Twitter.
Arden won a second term in office on Saturday in a historic proportion.
Arden’s Liberal Labor Party received 49 percent of the vote, crushing the Conservative National Party, which received 27 percent. Adrienne said the victory margin exceeded his expectations.
The Labor Party will now have a clear majority in Parliament, the first time any party has achieved the 24-year-old New Zealand system of proportional voting. Normally the parties have formed alliances to rule but this time Labor can do it alone.
A day after winning a second term, Arden said Sunday he sees the election result as support for his government’s efforts to eradicate the coronavirus and revive the economy.
Speaking at a cafe near his Auckland home, Adern said he hoped to form a new government in three weeks and that work on the virus would be given priority.
“We’re cracking very fast with the work we need to do as a new team,” Arden said.
Arden’s popularity soared earlier this year after leading a successful attempt to stem the spread of the virus by tightening the lock in late March. There have been at least 2,000 cases of the virus in New Zealand, with 25 deaths.
