EXPLAINER - What to know about New Zealand’s general election

• Over 3.7 million New Zealanders expected to vote in general election on Nov. 7 as cost of living, healthcare and rising fuel prices top voter concerns
• Recent poll puts center-left opposition Labour Party ahead with 30.6% support, followed by incumbent National Party with 24.8%

More than 3.7 million voters in New Zealand are expected to cast their ballots in the Nov. 7 general election, with economic pressures, healthcare and rising fuel prices among the key issues shaping the campaign.

Voting will open from 9 am (2000GMT Friday) to 7 pm (0600GMT) on Saturday.

A preliminary count will begin after polling stations close on Election Day. The final results are expected by Nov. 27.

The election will determine the composition of the country's Parliament under its mixed-member proportional (MMP) voting system, which gives voters two separate votes: one for a political party and another for a local representative.

In the party vote, voters choose the political party they want in Parliament. The share of the party vote largely determines how many seats each party receives.

The electorate vote, meanwhile, allows voters to select a candidate to represent their local area as a member of Parliament (MP). Those enrolled on the Maori roll vote for candidates in Maori electorates, while those on the general roll choose candidates in general electorates. The candidate receiving the most votes in each electorate wins the seat.

To qualify for representation in Parliament, a party needs to win at least 5% of the party vote or secure an electorate seat.

Although New Zealand's Parliament normally has 120 seats, its size can increase if a party wins more local electorate seats than its share of the nationwide party vote would entitle it to.

The additional seats are known as overhang seats.

The current Parliament has 123 MPs representing six political parties. These MPs represent 65 general electorate seats and 7 Maori electorates, while the remaining 51 members entered Parliament through party lists.

Who's in the race?

The contest features established parties, including the incumbent National Party and the center-left opposition Labour Party.

Other major contenders include the Green Party, ACT New Zealand and New Zealand First, alongside smaller parties such as Te Pati Maori and the Opportunity Party.

Another newcomer is the Free Palestine party, whose leader, Paul Hopkinson, told Anadolu earlier this year that the party aimed to bring the Palestinian issue to the forefront of the election campaign.

A Radio New Zealand-Reid Research poll put the Labour Party ahead with 30.6% support, followed by the National Party with 24.8%.

The Green Party received 14.5%, ACT New Zealand 10.1%, and New Zealand First 9.9%.

Cost of living tops voter concerns

As voters prepare to make their choice, economic pressures remain at the forefront of public concerns.

According to the Ipsos Issues Monitor, based on a survey of 1,008 people conducted between Oct. 19 and 27, inflation and the cost of living ranked as the most pressing issue, cited by 64% of respondents.

Healthcare and hospitals followed at 45%, while petrol prices and fuel ranked third at 31%.

Other concerns included the economy at 30%, unemployment at 19%, housing prices at 18%, poverty and inequality at 16%, crime and law and order at 14%, and climate change at 12%.

Fuel prices recorded the sharpest increase among the leading concerns, rising 17% in the September survey, according to New Zealand news outlet The Spinoff.

The increase was driven by heightened tensions in the Middle East following US and Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, and subsequent disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.