Wellington - New Zealand prime minister-elect John Key, the self-confessed centrist leader of a conservative party that won Saturday's general election, chose Monday to keep right-wing allies in his new government at a distance.
Key, whose National Party's 59 seats fell short of an overall majority in the 122-member Parliament, received confirmation of support from the free market ACT party, which holds five seats.
Wellington - New Zealand prime minister-elect John Key said Sunday that he wanted a fast-track swearing-in process so that he could attend an important Asia-Pacific regional summit in Peru this month.
Key, whose conservative National Party swept to victory over the incumbent Labour-led coalition in Saturday's general election, told a news conference it would be in the country's best interests if he could attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit in Lima on November 22-23.
Wellington - The New Zealand parliament will have a record six Asian members - including the first ethnic Korean and Sikh - following Saturday's election.
Korean-born television presenter Melissa Lee, 42, and former New Delhi businessman Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi will join Pansy Wong, who was New Zealand's first Asian Member of Parliament when she was elected in 1996, in the newly-elected National Party government ranks.
Wellington - After nine years of liberal centre-left government, New Zealand has taken a decided swing to the right in Saturday's general election, but how far remains to be seen.
The conservative National Party's leader and prime minister-elect John Key says the organisation is "arguably more centrist and probably a little more pragmatic" since he became its leader two years ago.
Wellington - New Zealand awoke Sunday to the prospect of a new centre-right government to steer the country out of its worst recession for years after a general election dumped the Labour-led coalition that had ruled since 1999.
Saturday's election produced a sharp jump to the right, leaving prime minister-elect John Key, 47, leader of the conservative National Party, and his free market allies in the ACT party, to govern for the next three years.
Wellington - Sir Roger Douglas, architect of sweeping free market changes that transformed the New Zealand economy two decades ago, was returned to parliament as part of the swing to the right in Saturday's election.
Douglas, now 70, was Finance Minister from 1984-88 in the Labour government that steered such radical reforms that a senior aide to Britain's Conservative Party said even its "Iron Lady" leader Margaret Thatcher would not dare to go so far.
Wellington - New Zealand prime minister-elect John Key, the self-confessed centrist leader of a conservative party that won Saturday's general election, chose Monday to keep right-wing allies in his new government at a distance.
Wellington - New Zealand prime minister-elect John Key said Sunday that he wanted a fast-track swearing-in process so that he could attend an important Asia-Pacific regional summit in Peru this month.
Wellington - After nine years of liberal centre-left government, New Zealand has taken a decided swing to the right in Saturday's general election, but how far remains to be seen.
Wellington - New Zealand awoke Sunday to the prospect of a new centre-right government to steer the country out of its worst recession for years after a general election dumped the Labour-led coalition that had ruled since 1999.
Wellington - Sir Roger Douglas, architect of sweeping free market changes that transformed the New Zealand economy two decades ago, was returned to parliament as part of the swing to the right in Saturday's election.
