What if the coronavirus pandemic delayed an election and no one cared?
That’s pretty much what’s happening in New Zealand, where Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern appears to be cruising toward victory in an election this Saturday after rival politicians sought postponement from the original Sept. 19 date. At a time when America is tearing itself apart over the crises of COVID-19 and a president who’s refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power after earlier calling to set back the vote itself, the spectacle of a nation tackling the same problems with calm consensus seems extraordinary.
New Zealand certainly isn’t immune to Trump-style populism. Winston Peters, Ardern’s deputy prime minister, has been railing against migration from Asia under the banner of the New Zealand First party for decades, all while occupying a string of high offices as one of the most significant politicians of his generation.