WELLINGTON, New Zealand—New Zealand delayed a national election by about a month after a coronavirus outbreak in its largest city of Auckland put a third of voters into lockdown.
The election, which was expected to be dominated by debate over the government’s response to the pandemic, will now be held on Oct. 17, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Monday.
“I absolutely have confidence we can and will deliver a safe election,” said Ms. Ardern, who also vowed there wouldn’t be a second delay.
Countries face a dilemma of whether to hold national or local polls, given the risk that voters gathering to cast their vote or attend physical rallies could increase transmission of the coronavirus. In April, South Korea was the first to hold a major nationwide election during the pandemic. Singapore held a national election in July, although some votes in Europe were postponed as the crisis deepened.
New Zealand went 102 days without any known local transmission of the coronavirus, but that streak ended early last week with the discovery of new cases in Auckland. The source remains unknown, but public health experts say a breach of border controls is the most likely scenario.