Several top National MPs likely to be out of Parliament
Preliminary election results in New Zealand suggest that several high-profile National Party MPs may lose their seats due to a drop in the party vote. The potential loss of list-only candidates highlights the volatility of the country's MMP electoral system.
Why it matters
The outcome could significantly alter the composition of Parliament and impact the formation of the next government.
<p>Several sitting National MPs may well be out of Parliament based on preliminary results.</p> <p><b>By Nik Dirga for </b><a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/politics_election-2026/2413987/election-results-top-national-mps-may-be-out-of-parliament" target="_blank"><b>RNZ</b></a></p> <p>Nicola Willis, Chris Bishop, Paul Goldsmith and Gerry Brownlee are all list-only candidates, and with National tipped to win more than 40 electorate seats, that means no candidates who are list-only would return to Parliament.</p> <p>They were all placed high on the party list to give them the best shot of returning to Parliament, but the party vote in preliminary counts has dropped dramatically from the 2023 result of 38% to under 30%, meaning the list candidates may entirely miss out.</p> <p>Goldsmith looks set to lose the race for the Epsom electorate to incumbent MP and ACT Party leader David Seymour.</p> <p>Speaking to 1News he said on current results as of nearly 11pm - which have Seymour on 37.1% and Goldsmith on 30.5% with more than 70% of the…
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Senior National Party Ministers Face Parliamentary Exit After Preliminary Election Results
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