Early voting begins in New Zealand's general election and in Australia for Indigenous 'Voice'
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Early voting began on Monday in New Zealand for the nation's Oct. 14 general election, with conservative contender Christopher Luxon casting his ballot.
Early voting also began in some parts of Australia in a referendum that would enshrine in Australia’s constitution a mechanism for Indigenous people to advise Parliament on policies that affect their lives.
In New Zealand, the campaign of Prime Minister Chris Hipkins faced a setback on Sunday when he tested positive for COVID-19. He said he would isolate for five days or until he returned a negative test, but planned to continue with some engagements over Zoom.
Hipkins and his liberal Labour Party have been lagging behind the opposition National Party, led by Christopher Luxon, in opinion polls..
“After a rough night I woke up this morning feeling pretty unwell and just got this test result,” Hipkins wrote on Instagram, and said he'd work twice as hard when he got back out on the campaign trail.
https://thepublicsradio.org/article/early-voting-begins-in-new-zealands-general-election-and-in-australia-for-indigenous-voice
= new reply since forum marked as read
