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WHAT’S ON THE BALLOTThe Associated Press will provide coverage for the Democratic and Republican presidential primaries on Tuesday and the Republican caucuses on Feb. 8. The Republican primary ballot includes Haley, who's a former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina governor, along with former primary candidates Mike Pence and Tim Scott and four other GOP hopefuls. Republican voters may participate in both the Republican primary and caucuses. DECISION NOTESThe Associated Press will declare winners in both the Democratic and Republican primaries on Tuesday, as well as the Republican caucuses on Feb. 8. As of Wednesday, nearly 124,000 Nevadans had already cast their primary ballots, about 61% in the Democratic primary and 39% in the Republican primary.

Persons: Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, Trump, Joe Biden, Marianne Williamson, Williamson, Dean Phillips, Haley, who's, Mike Pence, Tim Scott, Ryan Binkley, “, isn’t, ”, Nevadans Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, State, GOP, South Carolina, Democratic, Republican, Press, Biden, U.S . Rep, Dean Phillips of, South, “, WHO, THE, Caucus, Associated Press, AP, Nevada Republican Locations: — Nevada, Iowa, Nevada, Dean Phillips of Minnesota, South Carolina

Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesHere’s a look at what to expect on Saturday:PRIMARY NIGHTThe South Carolina Democratic presidential primary will be held on Saturday. DECISION NOTESBiden’s decisive victory in the 2020 South Carolina primary offers some useful benchmarks in determining the winner on Saturday night as votes are being counted. He was also the top choice among Democratic primary voters in the state’s Democratic and Republican strongholds, as well as in the more moderate areas in between. AP's VoteCast survey of 2020 South Carolina primary voters found that 64% of Black voters supported Biden, compared with 33% of white voters. In the 2020 South Carolina Democratic primary, the AP first reported results at 7:09 p.m.

Persons: Joe Biden’s foundering, Biden, Dean Phillips, Marianne Williamson, Phillips, Williamson, Pee, AP's, Vermont Sen, Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg, Sanders, it’s Organizations: WASHINGTON, Democratic, Democratic National Committee, New Hampshire, South, . Rep, Dean Phillips of Minnesota, South Carolina Democratic, Press, Biden, WHO, Republican, Carolina, Columbia, Palmetto State, AP, Voters, Democratic National Convention Locations: South Carolina, Iowa, New Hampshire, Carolina, Pee Dee, Waccamaw, Palmetto, Vermont, South Bend , Indiana, Chicago

Nicola Sturgeon told the United Kingdom's public inquiry into the pandemic that she didn't use informal messaging such as WhatsApp to make decisions. Although Scotland is part of the U.K., its government has powers over matters relating to public health. Sturgeon's standing has been further dented by the recent revelation that her WhatsApp messages had been deleted, which has led to questions about her trustworthiness or whether she has anything to hide. Last week, Sturgeon's successor as first minister, Humza Yousaf, offered an “unreserved” apology for the Scottish government’s “frankly poor” handling of requests for WhatsApp messages. Johnson agreed in late 2021 to hold a public inquiry after heavy pressure from bereaved families, who have hit out at the evidence emerging about his actions.

Persons: —, policymaking, Nicola Sturgeon, ”, Sturgeon, Boris Johnson, hadn't, hasn't, WhatsApp, “, Humza Yousaf, Heather Hallett, Johnson Organizations: United, Scotland, Scottish National Party, Scottish Locations: Scotland, Edinburgh, England, Wales, Northern Ireland

But a proposed resolution to declare Trump the presumptive nominee has been removed from the agenda before the committee is scheduled to meet in Las Vegas this week, party officials said. What was expected to be an uneventful RNC winter meeting in Las Vegas this week briefly gained heightened attention last week after the resolution, introduced by Maryland Committeeman David Bossie, to name Trump the presumptive nominee became public. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesWithin hours of the resolution's leak, Trump batted down the proposal, which some members of the committee criticized publicly as premature. There is no formal RNC rule barring the party from declaring a presumptive nominee. In 2016, then-RNC Chairman Reince Priebus declared Trump the presumptive nominee after the Indiana primary, though that was in May and Trump had battled Texas Sen. Ted Cruz for three months since Cruz finished first in the leadoff Iowa caucuses ahead of second-place Trump.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Nikki Haley, Maryland Committeeman David Bossie, Bossie, ” Trump, Reince Priebus, Texas Sen, Ted Cruz, Cruz, Ronna McDaniel, Haley, Joe Biden, ” McDaniel, ” “, ” Organizations: Republican National Committee, Republican, Trump, Maryland, Congress, U.S . Capitol, Indiana, The Associated Press, Democrats, 23 New Hampshire, Fox News, New, RNC Locations: Las Vegas, Iowa, 23, New Hampshire

“Here in Florida, you’ve had a real dose of Trumpism,” Biden told donors in nearby Jupiter, Florida where Trump owns a golf course. “You’re the reason Donald Trump is a defeated president,” Biden said to the attendees. Along with North Carolina, Florida is a state Biden lost in 2020 but which his campaign sees as a pickup opportunity. It’s a very tall order for the Biden campaign. The president lost Florida voters 65 and older to Trump by 10 points in 2020, a wider gap than his 5-point deficit nationally.

Persons: Biden, Donald Trump, Joe Biden’s, you’ve, ” Biden, ”, “, hadn’t, Trump’s, Republican megadonors, Nikki Haley, Biden’s, he’ll, Trump, MAGA, GOP Sen, Rick Scott, Ron DeSantis ’, Joe Biden, Joe Raedle, DeSantis, Donna Deegan, Nikki Fried, Fried, Tom Brenner, Democratic handwringing, That’s, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton Organizations: Trump, ” Air Force, Palm Beach International, Republican, Palm Beach, South, GOP, Republicans, Democrats, ., Sunshine State, Florida voters, Social Security, Medicare, Gov, University of Tampa, Democrat, Jacksonville, Florida Supreme, Florida Democrats, CNN, Democratic, Democratic Party, South Carolina's, State Fairgrounds, Reuters, ”, NBC News Locations: Jupiter, Miami , Florida Florida, Florida, Jupiter , Florida, New York, Palm, Palm Beach, South Carolina, Miami, North Carolina , Florida, Lago, Los Angeles, Columbia , South Carolina, Iowa

☆ New Zealand Withdraws Bill Allowing 16-Year-Olds to Vote in Local Body Elections
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Lucy CraymerWELLINGTON (Reuters) - The New Zealand government on Friday withdrew a bill that would have allowed sixteen year olds to vote in local government elections if it had passed. New Zealand's highest court ruled in late 2022 that the country's current voting age of 18 was discriminatory, forcing parliament to discuss whether it should be lowered. The previous Labour government last year ruled out the possibility of lowering the voting age to 16 for national elections, but had sought to legislate a lower voting age for local government elections. "Worrying about how to implement a new voting age regime would be a costly distraction for councils who have enough issues to deal with right now," he said. "Democracy is when voters choose their politicians, not when politicians choose their voters," they said in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Persons: Lucy Craymer WELLINGTON, Simeon Brown, Lucy Craymer, Lincoln Organizations: Reuters, New, Friday, Labour, Local, National Party, Twitter Locations: New Zealand

And there is precedent for the committee declaring a candidate the presumptive nominee before winning the 1,215 requisite delegates to clinch the nomination. In May 2016, then-RNC Chairman Reince Priebus declared Trump the presumptive nominee before he had the appropriate share of delegates wrapped up. Despite losing both the Iowa and New Hampshire contests to Trump, Haley has argued that her performance — outlasting all the other Trump rivals — shows the strength of her candidacy. Neither the Haley campaign nor the Trump campaign returned messages seeking comment on Thursday. “I’ve heard a lot of elected officials in the Republican Party, including the RNC chair, say, ‘We need to rally around a candidate.’ That this is going to be our candidate.

Persons: Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, “, Trump, Ronna McDaniel, Haley, McDaniel, Bill Palatucci, Chris Christie, ” Palatucci, ”, Joe Biden, Reince Priebus, Haley —, —, MAGA, ” Trump, “ You’ve, ” Petrizzo, Biden, “ I’ve, ___ Beaumont, Zeke Miller, ___ Meg Kinnard Organizations: COLUMBIA, Republican National Committee, United Nations, Trump, GOP, Associated Press, Team Trump, ”, The Dispatch, New, New Jersey Republican National, RNC, Republican Party, Democratic, —, Capitol Hill Locations: United States, New Hampshire, Las Vegas, New Jersey, Iowa, South Carolina, Des Moines , Iowa, Washington

Donald Trump is eyeing a win in New Hampshire’s Republican primary in his first one-on-one contest against Nikki Haley, while President Joe Biden is hoping to avoid embarrassment by prevailing in a Democratic primary where he isn’t even on the ballot. The former president is looking for his second straight victory in his quest for the 2024 GOP nomination after knocking out the rest of the field with a commanding win in Iowa. In the first results released early Tuesday, all six registered voters of tiny Dixville Notch cast their ballots for Haley over Trump. The resort town is the only one in New Hampshire this year that opted to vote at midnight. Biden's name isn't on the ballot as a result, but his allies are mounting a write-in campaign for him.

Persons: Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, Joe Biden, Haley, Biden, Trump, Haley Haley, Dixville Organizations: New, Republican, Democratic, Trump, GOP, Democratic National Committee, South Carolina, New Hampshire Democrats Locations: Iowa, New Hampshire

☆ Opinion: Our possibly short national nightmare
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

“My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over,” President Gerald Ford said. “Our campaign is the last best hope of stopping the Trump-Biden nightmare,” the former UN ambassador said. If not, it won’t be as protracted a “national nightmare” as the two-year-long Watergate scandal that put Gerald Ford in the Oval Office. Though, depending on your point of view, the real nightmare could begin after the swearing-in. Yet, John Avlon wrote, Trump and some members of the House GOP, want to tank an emerging compromise in the Senate that would couple border security measures with aid to Ukraine.

Persons: CNN —, Richard Nixon, “, Gerald Ford, Ford, Gerald Ford’s, Nikki Haley, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Clay Jones, we’ll, Haley, MAGA, ”, Frida Ghitis, Trump, ” Haley, ” Trump, Patrick T, Brown, Daniel McCarthy isn’t, Donald Trump’s, Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, ” Nick Anderson, Biden isn’t, Dean Phillips, Cupp, Biden, ” Dana Summers, Karen Finney, Robert E, Lee, ” Finney, ’, Keith Magee, Julian Zelizer, Trump Samuel L, Adams, King David Border, Adolf Hitler, “ Mein, Paul Moses, Edward Alsworth Ross, Moses, Ross, … ”, — Hitler’s, It’s, who’ve, John Avlon, Scott Stantis, Mike Johnson, Alice Driver, Greg Abbott’s, Jean Carroll, Bill Bramhall, News Trump, Carroll, Danielle Campoamor, “ Carroll, —, she’s, Shawn Crowley, Robert C, Gottlieb, ” “, Jack Ohman, Gerald Auten, David Splinter, Jordan McGillis, Thomas Piketty, Emmanuel Saez, Gabriel Zucman, McGillis, Melissa Kearney, ” Elise Gould, Josh Bivens, ” Elisabeth Kendall, Peter Bergen, ” Kendall, Sheena McKenzie, Izzeldin Abuelaish, Peter Rutland, Israel ’, Nafees Hamid, Walt Handelsman, Sara Stewart, Katherine Heigl, Jill Filipovic, Jeremy Allen White, J, Chen, Suzanne Nossel, Jade McGlynn, Holly Thomas, Estee Lauder, mascara, don’t, ” Thomas Organizations: CNN, Netflix, Trump, Biden, UN, New, Republican, Florida Gov, South Carolina Gov, GOP, Democratic, New Hampshire, Agency, Aggression, CNN Town Hall, American Sociological Association, ”, ified GOP, Texas Gov, News, Brookings, Social, Administration, US, Cambridge University’s Girton College, Wesleyan University, Palestine, Times Locations: Republic, Iowa, New Hampshire, Minnesota, New, Virginia, North Carolina, mealtimes, curriculums, America, Ukraine, New York, Manhattan, Yemeni, Red, Gaza, Israel, Americas

☆ Republicans worry that turmoil plaguing state parties could hurt GOP up and down the ballot in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Daniel Strauss | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

“I think it’s going to be a problem,” said Oscar Brock, a member of the Republican National Committee from Tennessee. And the state parties rely on the RNC and we ship them the data. Kemp has used his, the Georgians First Leadership Committee, as a political fundraising vehicle operating outside of the usual channels of the state Republican party. State parties play a key role in activating voters, organizing door knocking efforts and corralling donors. In the past, Barbour stressed, candidates could leave a fair share of the phone calls and door knocking to the state parties.

Persons: hamstrung, “, ”, Oscar Brock, –, Brian Kemp, Donald Trump, Ron Kaufman, ” Kaufman, Christian Ziegler, Kristina Karamo, Evan Power, Karamo, Jeff DeWit, DeWit, Ronna McDaniel, Kemp, Trump, We’ve, It’s, ” Jason Shepherd, can’t, you’re, Henry Barbour, Barbour, ” Barbour, that’s, Joe Biden we’re Organizations: CNN, Republican, Republican Party, Republican National Committee, Republicans, Georgia Gov, Prosperity, RNC, Florida Republicans, Florida Republican, Republican Party of Florida, Florida Party, Michigan Republican Party, Clark County School District, Clark County Republican Party, Nevada Republican Party, Republican National, Arizona Republican, An, An Arizona Republican, Georgia Republican, MAGA, GOP, Georgia Republicans, Leadership, Democratic Party, Cobb County Republican Party, Democrat, – Locations: Michigan, Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Clark, Las Vegas, Trump, Maricopa County, An Arizona, Georgians, Cobb County, Mississippi, “

WASHINGTON (AP) — Is a New Hampshire primary without the frontrunner on the ballot and no delegates up for grabs still a New Hampshire primary? In the 2020 New Hampshire Democratic primary, write-in votes comprised only 2% of the total vote, or about 6,000 votes. As the number of write-ins for Biden and “Other write-ins” goes up, the number of unprocessed write-ins will go down. A total of 21 Democrats will appear by name on the New Hampshire primary ballot on Tuesday, in addition to the option to vote for a write-in candidate. She received 99% of the write-in votes cast, but the final result wasn’t known for more than two weeks after Election Day.

Persons: Ray Buckley, Biden, Lyndon Johnson, Minnesota Sen, Eugene McCarthy, David Scanlan, “, there’s, ”, Scanlan, ” Scanlan, ‘ Biden, ’, Joe, Joe ’, unprocessed, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Sen, Lisa Murkowski Organizations: WASHINGTON, Granite State, Republican, Democratic, Democratic National Committee, The New Hampshire Democratic Party, DNC, NY Yankees, New, New Hampshire Democrats, Minnesota, New Hampshire Democratic, WMUR, The New, Associated Press, AP, Republicans, Convention Locations: New Hampshire, Granite, Iowa, Chicago, The New Hampshire, Michigan, Florida, Sens, Alaska

☆ Turnout drops and voters get more conservative in Trump’s decisive Iowa victory
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Zachary Wolf | Analysis Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Two-thirds of Republican voters don’t think President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory was legitimate, despite all evidence to the contrary. Iowa caucusgoers, unlike most of the country, overwhelmingly support banning most or all abortions nationwide. Iowa voters could be asked on the general election ballot to make clear there is no right to abortion guaranteed in their state’s constitution. While Trump held a commanding lead among Iowa caucusgoers without college degrees, college graduates were more closely divided among Trump, former South Carolina Gov. But she made clear this week that she would ultimately support Trump if he’s the nominee.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, MAGA, Trump, Joe Biden’s, caucusgoers, Biden, Sen, Ted Cruz, Ariel Edwards, Levy, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, ”, Republican caucusgoers, it’s, Jack Smith, Kim Reynolds, “ I’m, Chris Sununu, Haley, Sununu, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, he’s, “, – there’s, Chris Christie, DeSantis Organizations: CNN, Iowa Republican, GOP, Republican, Trump, Republicans, Voters, Iowa’s Republican, Iowa, GOP CNN, South Carolina Gov, Florida Gov, White, Iowa Gov, Fox News, New, New Hampshire Gov, New Jersey Gov Locations: Iowa, Ted Cruz of Texas, Caucusgoers, Washington, DC, New Hampshire, New Jersey

With 23% of the vote, Wilders stands a good chance of leading any future governing coalition. In the Netherlands, forming a majority coalition with Wilders' party was considered unthinkable not long ago. "And Wilders took off in the polls.”In December, a member of Wilders' party became president of parliament, marking a breakthrough in political acceptance. There is now a real prospect of his far-right party joining, or even leading, a majority governing coalition. Rather than far-right parties being pulled to the center, the center may veer to the right.

Persons: SINT, ”, Geert Wilders, Wilders, ’ ”, Rem Korteweg, “, Walter de Jong, De Jong, Mark Rutte, Tom Theuns, ” Wilders, Theuns, ” Theuns, Jean, Marie Le Pen, Le Pen’s, —, North Africa —, Mark Rutte's, Frans Timmermans Organizations: Party, Freedom, European Union, EU, Party for Freedom, Rabobank, “, Leiden University, National, Frontex, ”, Pulitzer Center, Crisis Locations: SINT WILLEBRORD, Netherlands, Willebrord, Europe, Germany, France, Spain, Sweden, Austria, The Hague, Hungary, Serbia, Poland, Rucphen, Sint Willebrord, Ukraine, Soviet, Syria, Turkey, Belgium, Dutch, North Africa, EU

☆ New Zealanders gather across country to protest new policies
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] People take part in a march lead by New Zealand political party Te Pati Maori to demonstrate against the incoming government and its policies, in Wellington, New Zealand, December 5, 2023. The protest action was called for by political party Te Pati Maori and coincides with the opening of New Zealand's 54th parliament. "This is not a protest, this is an activation," Te Pati Maori co-leader Rawiri Waititi told Wellington protesters who marched through the city to the country's distinctive Beehive parliament building. New Zealand police said there had been traffic disruptions but the protests were peaceful and there were no arrests. David Seymour, leader of libertarian party ACT New Zealand, said in a statement the protest was just theatrics when New Zealanders just want their government to get on with fixing the many issues the country is dealing with.

Persons: Te Pati, Lucy Craymer, Rawiri Waititi, Kathy Hughes, Hughes, David Seymour, Britain's King Charles III, Te Pati Maori's, King Charles, Sandra Maler Organizations: New Zealand, REUTERS, Rights, National Party, New Zealand First, ACT New Zealand, Labour Party, Wellington, police, New, Thomson Locations: New, Wellington , New Zealand, New Zealand's, Wellington, Zealanders, Waitangi, Lincoln

Pledged and bound delegates can be further divided into at-large delegates and district delegates. At-large delegates represent the entire state, while district delegates represent specific districts within the state, usually congressional districts but sometimes state legislative districts. How does a candidate ‘win’ delegates? Others allocate just their statewide delegates according to the statewide vote and their district delegates according to the vote in each district. Congressional district delegates would be awarded the same way, based on results in each individual district.

Persons: isn’t, it’s, — Organizations: WASHINGTON, Republican National Committee, Electoral College, White, Delegates, Democratic, Republican, of Columbia, Democrats, U.S . Senate, Democratic National Committee, RNC, Congressional, Republicans, New, South Carolina, DNC Locations: Guam , Montana , New Mexico, South Dakota, Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina, Michigan

☆ New Zealand’s new government scraps world-leading smoking ban to fund tax cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

A year after passing a world-leading smoking ban designed to save thousands of lives and prevent new generations of young adults from smoking, New Zealand has announced a u-turn to help pay for tax cuts, infuriating public health officials and anti-tobacco groups. Marty Melville/AFP/Getty ImagesNew Zealand’s initial smoking ban was hailed by public health officials around the world. Months after New Zealand’s announcement, Britain also unveiled plans to phase out smoking for new generations. A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that the British government remained committed to phasing out smoking, even after New Zealand’s reversal. The anti-smoking group Health Coalition Aotearoa (HCA) expressed disappointment at the new coalition’s plans to repeal the smoking ban.

Persons: Chris Luxon, Luxon, Christopher Luxon, Marty Melville, Rishi Sunak, ”, Nicola Willis, Saturday, Mario Tama, Ayeshea Verrall, “ What’s, ” Verrall Organizations: CNN, National Party, New Zealand First, ACT New, Radio New Zealand, Government House, Getty, British, World Health, Radio New, Health Coalition Aotearoa, New Zealanders Locations: New Zealand, ACT New Zealand, Wellington, AFP, Britain, Los Angeles , California, Radio New Zealand, New

☆ New Zealand to Introduce RBNZ Reforms, Lift Cigarette Sale Ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - New Zealand's new government will introduce legislation to reform the Reserve Bank of New Zealand's mandate and lift a ban on the sale of cigarettes to future generations within its first 100 days, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said in a statement on Wednesday. The centre-right National Party, led by Luxon, returned to power alongside the populist New Zealand First party and libertarian ACT New Zealand after six years of rule by governments led by the left-leaning Labour Party. Luxon, who was sworn in on Monday, said its 49-point action plan was focused on the economy, easing the cost of living and restoring law and order. The coalition will also push ahead with its plans to repeal amendments to the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act 1990, including a world-first ban on the sale of cigarettes to future generations. (Reporting by Lewis Jackson in Sydney, Editing by Alasdair Pal)

Persons: Christopher Luxon, Luxon, Lewis Jackson, Alasdair Pal Organizations: SYDNEY, Reserve Bank of New, National Party, New Zealand First, ACT New Zealand, Labour Party, Zealanders, Coalition Government Locations: Sydney

☆ New Zealand's new government sworn in, parliament expected to open next week
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Christopher Luxon, Leader of the National Party speaks to supporters at his election party after winning the general election to become New Zealand’s next prime minister in Auckland, New Zealand, October 14, 2023. REUTERS/David Rowland/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWELLINGTON, Nov 27 (Reuters) - New Zealand’s new right-of-centre government was sworn in on Monday, with parliament expected to sit next week and begin working on new policies including a new central bank mandate and lifting a ban on oil and gas exploration. The New Zealand Green Party on Monday launched a petition to keep the ban on oil and gas exploration. “We ask everyone to stand with us to tell this government that the oil and gas ban has to stay,” Green Party co-leader James Shaw said in a statement. The Green Party has said they will re-introduce a ban on new sources of fossil fuels when they return to government.

Persons: Christopher Luxon, David Rowland, Cindy Kiro, King Charles III, Luxon, TVNZ’s 1News, “ We’ve, we’ve, ”, James Shaw, Lucy Craymer, Lincoln Organizations: National Party, New, REUTERS, Rights, National, Government House, Wellington ., ACT New Zealand, New Zealand, Zealand Green Party, Monday, ” Green Party, Green Party, Thomson Locations: Auckland , New Zealand, British, New, Wellington, New Zealand

☆ New Zealand's New Government Sworn In, Parliament Expected to Open Next Week
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Lucy CraymerWELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand’s new right-of-centre government was sworn in on Monday, with parliament expected to sit next week and begin working on new policies including a new central bank mandate and lifting a ban on oil and gas exploration. “We’ve got the team, we’ve got the ideas, we’ve got a clear policy program for the next three years,” he said. The New Zealand Green Party on Monday launched a petition to keep the ban on oil and gas exploration. “We ask everyone to stand with us to tell this government that the oil and gas ban has to stay,” Green Party co-leader James Shaw said in a statement. The Green Party has said they will re-introduce a ban on new sources of fossil fuels when they return to government.

Persons: Lucy Craymer WELLINGTON, Cindy Kiro, King Charles III, Christopher Luxon, Luxon, TVNZ’s 1News, “ We’ve, we’ve, ”, James Shaw, Lucy Craymer, Lincoln Organizations: Reuters, National, Government House, Wellington ., ACT New Zealand, New Zealand, Zealand Green Party, Monday, ” Green Party, Green Party Locations: British, New, Wellington, New Zealand

WELLINGTON, Nov 23 (Reuters) - New Zealand's National Party said on Thursday it has reached an agreement with ACT New Zealand and New Zealand First to form a government, ending weeks of negotiations and political uncertainty with the country under a caretaker government. The center-right National Party won the largest share of votes in New Zealand's Oct. 14 general election but needed the support of both right-wing ACT New Zealand and the populist New Zealand First parties to form a majority government. "I'm very pleased to announce that we're in a position where we've concluded negotiations with the respective parties. Christopher Luxon, leader of New Zealand's National Party waves to supporters at his election party after winning the general election in Auckland, New Zealand, October 14, 2023. The conservative National Party won over voters by promising relief for struggling middle-income New Zealanders, and to bring historically high inflation under control while reducing the country's debt.

Persons: we've, Christopher Luxon, David Rowland, Winston Peters, Act's David Seymour, Lucy Craymer, Renju Jose, Stephen Coates Organizations: WELLINGTON, National Party, ACT New, New Zealand, ACT New Zealand, New, National, REUTERS, NZ, Zealanders, Labour, Thomson Locations: ACT New Zealand, New, Auckland , New Zealand, New Zealanders

☆ New Zealand's National Party reaches deal to form government
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND - NOVEMBER 03: Incoming Prime Minister and National Party leader Christopher Luxon speaks during a media stand-up at Parliament on November 03, 2023 in Wellington, New Zealand. Special votes cast overseas and by mail were certified on Friday, finally sealing the results of New Zealand's general elections. The Labour party was soundly defeated by the National Party, led by Christopher Luxon, winning the most votes. National will however need the support of both ACT and NZ First parties to form the next coalition Government. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)New Zealand's National Party has reached an agreement with ACT New Zealand and New Zealand First to form a government, and the final signoff could be done later on Thursday, the leaders said.

Persons: Christopher Luxon, Hagen Hopkins, ACT's David Seymour, New Zealand First's Winston Peters Organizations: WELLINGTON, Incoming, National Party, New, Labour, ACT, NZ, Government, Getty, ACT New, New Zealand, ACT New Zealand, Zealand Locations: ZEALAND, Wellington , New Zealand, ACT New Zealand, New

☆ New Zealand's National Party confirms coalition gov't
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsNew Zealand's National Party confirms coalition gov'tPostedNew Zealand's incoming prime minister Christopher Luxon said on Thursday (November 23) his National Party had reached an agreement with ACT New Zealand and New Zealand First to form a government, ending weeks of negotiations and political uncertainty with the country under a caretaker government.

Persons: Christopher Luxon Organizations: New, National Party, ACT New, New Zealand Locations: ACT New Zealand, New

New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters arrives at a news conference after he attended an emergency meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul, Turkey, March 22, 2019. The role of deputy prime minister, a key sticking point in the discussions, will be split between the populist NZ First party leader Winston Peters and ACT party leader David Seymour, the group announced in a statement. National Party deputy leader Nicola Willis will be finance minister and Peters will be foreign minister, the parties said. The coalition plans to repeal a ban on offshore oil and gas exploration and a ban on the sale of cigarettes to future generations introduced by the previous Labour government, according to coalition documents. "Foreign affairs does matter to this country.... all relationships do matter to this country," Peters said in a joint news conference in the capital Wellington after the announcement.

Persons: Winston Peters, Murad Sezer, David Seymour, Nicola Willis, Peters, Christopher Luxon, Luxon, ” Luxon, Jacinda, Helen Clark, Lucy Craymer, Praveen Menon, Diane Craft Organizations: Zealand's, of Islamic Cooperation, REUTERS, ACT NZ, National Party, NZ First, ACT, Party, Reserve, New Zealand, Bank of New, Labour, “, New Zealanders, Police, Thomson Locations: Istanbul, Turkey, WELLINGTON, Bank of New Zealand, Wellington, Niue

☆ New Zealand's National Party Reaches Deal to Form Government
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand's National Party has reached an agreement with ACT New Zealand and New Zealand First to form a government, and the final signoff could be done later on Thursday, the leaders said. The conservative National Party won the largest share of votes in New Zealand's Oct. 14 general election but needed the support of both right-wing ACT New Zealand and the populist New Zealand First Parties to form a majority government. The statement did not include details of any ministerial appointments or the incoming government's policy priorities. Currently, the government is being operated by the former Labour government, which is operating in caretaker mode. (Reporting by Lucy Craymer and Renju Jose; Editing by Jamie Freed and Stephen Coates)

Persons: Christopher Luxon, ACT's David Seymour, New Zealand First's Winston Peters, Lucy Craymer, Renju Jose, Jamie Freed, Stephen Coates Organizations: WELLINGTON, Reuters, National Party, ACT New, New Zealand, ACT New Zealand, Zealand, Labour Locations: ACT New Zealand, New

☆ New Zealand PM-elect says 'significant milestone' reached in forming govt
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Christopher Luxon, leader of New Zealand's National Party waves to supporters at his election party after winning the general election in Auckland, New Zealand, October 14, 2023. REUTERS/David Rowland/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWELLINGTON, Nov 20 (Reuters) - New Zealand's Prime Minister elect Christopher Luxon said on Monday that a "significant milestone" had been achieved in forming a government overnight with the National Party, ACT New Zealand and New Zealand First agreeing on policy programmes. National won the largest share of votes in New Zealand's Oct. 14 general election but needs both NZ First and ACT to form a government. Luxon told reporters in Auckland that National had agreed their policy programmes with ACT and NZ First. Luxon said he did not expect that to take too long, and discussions would focus on these decisions this afternoon.

Persons: Christopher Luxon, David Rowland, Luxon, Newshub, Lucy Craymer, Miral Organizations: New, National, REUTERS, Rights, Zealand's, National Party, ACT New, New Zealand, NZ First, ACT, NZ, Thomson Locations: Auckland , New Zealand, ACT New Zealand, New, Auckland

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