By Alasdair Pal and Lucy Craymer
WELLINGTON, Aug 6 (Reuters) - New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on Thursday he was open to a referendum on whether to change the country's electoral system, opening another split in his centre-right coalition months ahead of a general election.
New Zealand adopted the German-style Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system in 1996 after an inquiry found smaller parties were being shut out of parliament under the previous first-past-the-post system.
Luxon said in an interview with radio station Newstalk ZB that a referendum is "something we should consider", and could be held as early as 2027 if he returns to power following a general election scheduled for November 7.
"I think I would because I actually think that it is quite right to check in constitutionally and say, is this the system, New Zealand, you still want?" he said.
#lucy
WELLINGTON, Aug 6 (Reuters) - New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on Thursday he was open to a referendum on whether to change the country's electoral system, opening another split in his centre-right coalition months ahead of a general election.
New Zealand adopted the German-style Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system in 1996 after an inquiry found smaller parties were being shut out of parliament under the previous first-past-the-post system.
Luxon said in an interview with radio station Newstalk ZB that a referendum is "something we should consider", and could be held as early as 2027 if he returns to power following a general election scheduled for November 7.
"I think I would because I actually think that it is quite right to check in constitutionally and say, is this the system, New Zealand, you still want?" he said.
#lucy
2 months ago
