New Zealand PM-elect holds talks with minor party leaders to form government
10/11/2008 17:33
Negotiations to form the next New Zealand government began today with
Prime Minister-elect John Key entering talks with ACT party leader Rodney Hide
in Wellington.
It was the first in a series of meetings which Key hoped will
allow him to put together a government within a week.
After their one-hour
talks at the Parliament today, Hide confirmed ACT will support a National-led
government, a move which will allow Key to become prime minister.
Hide gave a
commitment that his five MPs will support National. He is expecting at least
one, if not two, ministerial posts for ACT members, however they are likely to
be outside of cabinet.
Key and Hide will meet again tomorrow afternoon to
continue their talks.
Key said he intended to do more work on the line-up of
his Cabinet last night and tomorrow.
"It alters slightly depending on the
requests from the other parties that we might work with, but I've got a
framework in my head, but there's a few moving parts and I'm just working my way
through that."
National has enough seats to govern with potential coalition
partners ACT and United Future, after a sweeping victory in the 2008 general
election on Saturday.
Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia, who will meet Key
along with co-leader Pita Sharples, said Key has told her he is keen to form a
relationship with her party.
Key told Radio New Zealand today that when the
government is finalized he plans to focus on the economy, and said it was
crucial that New Zealand gets on a high growth path.
"Hopefully just the
sheer change of government will give some confidence to the economy, that we are
going to put economic growth at the top of the agenda" he said.
However, Key
said the international position is still unstable and New Zealand is in
recession.
He said the government will have to work very hard to get the
country on the right footing on the backdrop of what will be a difficult
economic position.
Key plans to support the manufacturing sector by bringing
inflation under control and easing pressure on interest rates.
While many
exporters cannot compete with low wage economies, Key said it is important that
exporters are competitive at adding value to their products.
In the first 100
days of office, Key's priorities are legislation for April tax cuts, and reform
of the Resource Management Act.
He will hold talks with United Future leader
Peter Dunne this afternoon and Maori Party leaders Tariana Turia and Pita
Sharples tomorrow.
National, with 59 seats, only needs ACT's five seats to
govern, but Key has said he is keen to form as broad-based a government as
possible.
Xinhua
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