Lesson in Ardern’s landslide victory

FOR governments facing a growing wave of coronavirus cases as autumn turns to winter, there’s a stark lesson in last Saturday’s stunning election victory for New Zealand’s incumbent Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern: Voters really want their governments to suppress the pandemic.

A landslide victory means Ardern could govern with the first outright majority since her country adopted proportional representation in the 1990s, with her Labour party winning the largest share of the vote in 70 years.