The counting of votes starts just as soon as the polls close tomorrow at 7pm, but the likelihood of a clear outcome tomorrow night seems somewhat remote.
In fact, it would take a big shift one way or another along the political spectrum, a shift not predicted by the many different media polls leading up to the actual vote, to produce a straightforward result. Not that MMP has given us many straightforward results since it became our preferred electoral system in 1996.
Remember that election? The election night result was, wait for it, inconclusive, with no party holding an overall majority.
The then-governing National Party, led by Jim Bolger, won 34 per cent of the party vote and 44 seats, followed by Helen Clark’s Labour [28 per cent, and 37 seats], New Zealand First [13 per cent, and 17 seats], the Alliance [10 per cent, and 13 seats] and ACT [6 per cent, and 8 seats].
While it was a most intriguing night for many observers, the days, weeks and months that followed had just as many wondering if selecting MMP in a referendum three years earlier was a big mistake. Political cartoonists were quick to draw images of a tail wagging the dog or a ringmaster lording it over the circus clowns trying to win his favour.
The circus finally came to an end with the brightest of spotlights trained firmly on Winston Peters, who was milking the extra attention for all it was worth. It is a special skill that he has taken to Olympic level.
As if to add to the dramatic effect, and to the considerable surprise of the population, Peters pulled out a plot twist of Agatha Christie proportions and chose to form a coalition with National.
And here we are.
The events of 1996 left a lingering, nasty taste in the mouths of voters up and down the country and the prospect of a repeat performance will no doubt be on their minds as they head to the polling station today or tomorrow, if they haven’t already cast their vote.
While a result may be far from obvious tomorrow night, there is much more certainty in arriving at an outcome for Sunday morning’s Rugby World Cup quarterfinal in Paris. That said, the way in which the match will be decided is not as clear-cut as you may think.
Still smarting from the heartbreaking way our cricketers lost the final of the 2019 Cricket World Cup, I thought it wise to check the rules regarding a playoff match at the oval ball tournament in France. Hold on to your beret.
If the score remains tied, an additional 10 minutes of sudden-death extra time are played, with the first team to score points immediately declared the winner. The equivalent of a golden goal.
If, however, no team is able to break the tie during extra time, the winner is ultimately decided by a penalty shootout. Oh dear.
A coin toss will decide which team kicks first. That’s not a good start … pure luck. Moving on, five players from each team will kick from three different areas, all on the 22-metre line.
Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.
