Narendra Modi congratulates Jacinda Ardern on landslide poll win, says ‘look forward to working together’ – World News , Firstpost

File image of Narendra Modi. PTI

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday congratulated his New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Ardern for securing a second term in office, and said he looked forward to working together for taking the bilateral relationship to a higher level.

In his tweet, Modi said, “My heartiest congratulations to the PM of New Zealand @jacindaardern on her resounding victory. Recall our last meet a year ago and look forward to working together for taking India-NZ relationship to a higher level.”

Ardern, of the liberal Labour Party, won a second term in office on Saturday in an election landslide of historic proportions.

With most votes counted, Ardern’s liberal Labour Party was winning 49 percent of the vote compared to 27 percent for its main challenger, the conservative National Party.

Labour was on target to win an outright majority of the seats in Parliament, something that hasn’t happened since New Zealand implemented a proportional voting system 24 years ago. Typically, parties must form alliances to govern, but this time Ardern and Labour can go it alone.

In a victory speech in front of hundreds of cheering supporters in Auckland, Ardern said her party had gotten more support from New Zealanders that at any time in at least 50 years.

“This has not been an ordinary election, and it’s not an ordinary time,” she said. “It’s been full of uncertainty and anxiety, and we set out to be an antidote to that.”

Ardern promised not to take her new supporters for granted and to govern for all New Zealanders.