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Special votes will determine Greens' success

Green Party co-leaders Jeanette Fitzsimons and Rod Donald say special votes may push the party across the five per cent threshold and give it victory in Coromandel.

"We could win the double yet," the co-leaders said.

The Greens polled 4.86 per cent of the party vote and need only 12,500 of the yet to be counted 208,000 special votes to get back into parliament.

Ms Fitzsimons herself is only 114 votes behind in the Coromandel electorate where approximately 3500 specials have yet to be counted.

"Our political future is certainly on a knife-edge but we are hopeful these specials will go our way," Ms Fitzsimons said.

The Greens believe they will do better in the specials because of the late surge in support for the party.

The Greens had also run publicity campaigns in Australia and England where young travellers - the type of people known for Green sympathies - made up a significant percentage of the voting population, and the party was confident it would poll well with them.

The two areas where the Greens got their highest party votes were well known for their Green youth support: Auckland Central - where Nandor Tanczos was candidate - scored 14 per cent of the party vote and Wellington Central scored nine per cent.

Mr Donald said National's dirty tricks campaign may well have had an impact on the Green Party's result in Coromandel.

"A little co-operation from Labour or the Alliance in Coromandel could have helped and would have produced a more balanced and durable centre-left government," he said.

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If they did not win seats, the Green Party would continue to press Parliamentary parties on Green issues, as well as work in local government, community organisations, education and business for a society based on ecology and social justice.

"As we have been telling New Zealand, 'this is not an election campaign, it's our life's work,'" Mr Donald said. "And we will be inviting everyone who voted for us to join in."

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