Keywords: New Zealand, parliamentary elections, party, coalition, referendum, electoral system New Zealand is a small country (4.5 million people) as part of the Commonwealth of Nations. The form of government is a parliamentary monarchy. Formally, it is headed by the English monarch, who, in accordance with the instructions of New Zealand ministers, appoints a Governor-General with a term of office of five years. His power is purely symbolic. In essence, the country is governed by the leader of the political party that won the parliamentary elections, who holds the post of Prime Minister and forms the government. The highest legislative body of the State is the Parliament, which consists of one House of Representatives and is re-elected every three years. This is a country with strong democratic traditions. In the past, it has been called the " world's foremost democracy, "the" welfare state." In this regard, it is enough to mention, for example, that women's suffrage rights in New Zealand (at that time a colony of Great Britain) were granted earlier than in the metropolis itself and in most developed countries. For many years in New Zealand, the two main parties of the country were alternately in power: Labor (Liberal, center-left) and National(conservative, center-right). This situation was facilitated by the majority electoral system of relative majority. One deputy was elected from each electoral district based on territorial features. The winner was the one who received the largest number of votes in his / her constituency, regardless of the percentage of votes cast for him / her, even if it was less than half. In English-speaking countries, the name of this system is the "first to be elected" or "first to be elected" system. At the end of the 20th century, the situation changed. A mixed-proportional electoral system was developed and approved by a referendum. It has been operating in the country since 1996. Now a voter receives two ballots in parliamentary el ... Read more