Early voting underway ahead of general election in New Zealand

Early voting in New Zealand already began on Monday, ahead of the country's general elections on Oct. 14.

Some 3.8 million registered voters will elect lawmakers for the 120-seat New Zealand parliament, 72 of which will be elected directly by the voters and 48 of which will be allocated based on political party vote proportions.

According to the election authorities, overseas New Zealanders can vote until Oct. 14, as early voting for overseas already began on Sept. 27.

The country's electoral commission has established 400 voting places for early voting while 2,300 voting places will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Oct. 14, election day.

The country's electoral commission has established 400 early voting locations, while 2,300 polling stations will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Oct. 14.

The main contest is expected between Prime Minister Chris Hipkins' Labour Party and the National Party, with a total of 19 political parties participating in the election process.

Premier Hipkins, who tested positive for COVID-19 during the election campaign, isolated himself on Sunday and announced that he would run his campaign online instead.

"A total of 567 candidates (electorate and list) are standing in this year’s election. This compares with 677 candidates in the 2020 election. It is similar to the number of candidates in previous elections; 534 in 2017, 554 in 2014, and 544 in 2011," said the Electoral Commission in a statement published on its website last week.