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Winston Peters within a whisker of choosing the PM

Winston Peters within a whisker of choosing the PM.

Winston Peters is on the verge of holding the balance of power with New Zealand First reaching 4.9 percent in the Herald-­Digipoll released today.

"New Zealand's worst political nightmare is coming true,” says Vote for Change spokesperson Jordan Williams. “Our voting system may allow one man, Winston Peters, to exercise the ultimate power and choose the PM again.”

“Based on the poll if Labour lose just 0.1 per cent to New Zealand First, and Act can’t win Epsom, ACT would be out of Parliament, and National and United Future would not have a majority. Mr Peters could choose our PM for the third time. That’s the unfairness of the current voting system.”

“Vote for Change believes that the choice of who governs should be shared among Kiwi voters and not politicians such as Mr Peters after the election.”

“The keep MMP political groups are trying to convince us to trust a ‘review’ of MMP to tweak it. If Kiwis do that it will be the politicians, possibly including Mr Peters, that decide any changes.“

“Just like turkeys don’t vote for an early Christmas, we don’t trust the politicians to make MMP fairer. Only a vote to change keeps the control of our voting system in voters’ hands. It guarantees a second referendum in 2014.”

In 2005 Mr Peters promised not to take the baubles of office, but accepted a ministerial post and choose a Labour led government.

“Do we trust him when he said he says he won’t go do that again?” asked Mr Williams.

ENDS

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