Ardern alternative to strongman politics

At a time when countries around the world are electing politicians and political parties espousing narrow nationalism and muscular politics, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s landslide victory in New Zealand’s general elections provides a glimmer of hope. Ardern's centre-left Labour party won 49% of the vote, giving it 64 seats in the 120-seat parliament. The victory is historic for several reasons. This is the first time in four decades that Labour has won an outright majority. Importantly, the verdict bucks the global trend. While elsewhere, right-wing parties with hate-filled, polarising and belligerent agendas are winning elections, New Zealanders put their faith in Ardern’s politics of inclusion, co-operation and compassion. At no time during her first prime ministerial term did Ardern waver in her commitment to building a progressive and inclusive New Zealand. When a white supremacist shot dead 51 Muslims at mosques in Christchurch, she stood resolutely against Islamophobia and empathised with the victims’ families, religious minorities and immigrants. She swiftly enacted gun law reforms and forced social media giants to tackle online hate speech. Ardern’s governance stood in sharp contrast to that of leaders in several other countries who have backed extremism and xenophobia to shore up support among ethnic and religious majorities. If her governance and campaign style prioritised compassion over hatred, her decisive victory signals that an alternative to strongman and divisive politics can win the support of voters. This is heartening.

Among the major successes of Ardern’s premiership was her robust and efficient handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. New Zealand has been successful in containing the coronavirus and keeping fatalities down so far; a country of four million saw only 25 people dying due to Covid-19. This seems to have played an important role in her election victory.

In her first term, Ardern did not address the economic recession. Some of the Labour party’s conservative partners in government were reportedly opposed to the government adopting progressive policies to tackle the recession’s impact on the poor. Recession has hit the indigenous communities the hardest and Ardern must address this crisis now. She has the parliamentary majority to take the tough measures needed. She has promised affordable housing and to eliminate child poverty and address climate change. She claims to be a feminist but has not done enough for poor or elderly women. Her main challenge in the second term will come from within her party; Labour party centrists could obstruct her policies. But given her significant skills in coalition-building, this should not be a major problem for her.