New Zealand's National Party set for 2nd term

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key and his ruling National Party looked set to be returned to power in Saturday's general election, according to a poll out Friday.The New Zealand Herald-DigiPoll found the National Party sitting on 50.9 percent support, with the main opposition Labour Party at 28 percent followed by the Green Party at 11.8 percent.The poll also showed that the New Zealand First party, led by former Cabinet member Winston Peters, sitting on 5.2 percent just enough to put it over the threshold of New Zealand's mixed member-proportional representation (MMP) electoral system.Under MMP, voters cast one ballot for a constituency Member of Parliament (MP) and one ballot for the party of their choice. Parties that gain at least one constituency MP or at least 5 percent of the party vote can select a number of MPs from their party lists proportionate to their share of the party vote.The system has led to coalition governments for the last decade and it is being put to a referendum with other election alternatives this election.The resurgence of New Zealand First after a term without representation could decide the make-up of the new government.The right wing ACT party is on 1.8 percent and looks set to lose its best chance at an electorate seat, meaning one of National's current coalition allies could lose its representation in parliament.The newly formed Conservative Party is on 1.3 percent and the Maori Party, another current National partner, Mana and United Future are all under 1 percent.The poll of 850 voters was taken over six days ending Wednesday and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percent, said the newspaper.The Herald-DigiPoll survey reinforced two polls out Thursday: the One News-Colmar Brunton poll, which put National on 50 percent and Labour on 28 percent; and the 3 News-Reid Research poll, which had National on 50 percent and Labour was on 26 percent.The country's Electoral Enrolment Centre announced Friday that as of Thursday 93.1 percent of eligible voters had enrolled slightly down from the figure in the last election in 2008 leaving 225,000 eligible voters still to join the electoral roll.Center national manager Murray Wicks told Radio New Zealand that 3,050,000 eligible voters had registered.Of those who had failed to register, 145,000, or 67 percent, were between the ages of 18 and 29, most of them living in cities with universities.Under New Zealand law, all eligible voters must register, but they are not compelled to vote. Unenrolled voters had until midnight Friday to return registration forms or face a possible fine of up to 100 NZ dollars (74 U.S. dollars).On the final day of campaigning, the leaders of both the National and Labour parties were heading to the country's biggest city of Auckland, pressing the flesh and meeting the public on the way.Key on his campaign bus was travelling from Taupo to Auckland, stopping at shopping malls, supermarkets, a town hall and a vineyard.National Party campaign chairman Steven Joyce told Radio New Zealand the campaign had gone well because National had focused on the most important issue - the economy."People watching the TV every night, with Europe and the US, and they're seeing some of the things that happen when you have political instability," said Joyce."I think what they're saying is 'Actually one thing we're very concerned about is ensuring we don't have the same thing in this country'."Labour Party leader Phil Goff was making a final case for stopping National's planned partial privatization of four state- owned energy companies and the national carrier, Air New Zealand.