The 1998 Wellington City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1998, elections were held for the Mayor of Wellington plus other local government positions including 18 councillors. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
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| Turnout | 56,925 (48.80%) | |||||||||||||||
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Background edit
The election saw incumbent Mayor Mark Blumsky re-elected with a greatly increased majority. However Blumsky did not gain a majority of support on the council with only seven of the "Wellington Alive" ticket elected. Wellington Alive were selection of right-leaning council candidates that were given public endorsement by Blumsky following the dissolution of the decades old Citizens' Association several years earlier.[1]
Councillor Jack Ruben initially declared to stand, but withdrew to support Stephanie Cook and avoid further splitting the left-wing vote.[2] Bryan Pepperell, another left leaning candidate stood as well. Cook and Pepperell were re-elected to the council, though Ruben lost his seat.
The 1998 election is the last mayoral election in Wellington's history to date where the successful candidate polled more than half the popular vote. It was also the first time since the 1933 election that the Labour Party did not field a mayoral candidate.
Mayoralty results edit
The following table gives the election results:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Mark Blumsky | 33,586 | 59.00 | +14.64 | |
| Alliance | Stephanie Cook | 12,693 | 22.29 | ||
| Independent | Bryan Pepperell | 7,327 | 12.87 | +12.22 | |
| Independent | Hugh Baker-Boyd | 1,366 | 2.39 | ||
| Independent | Rama Ramanathan | 1,357 | 2.38 | ||
| Independent | Robert Te Whare | 596 | 1.04 | ||
| Majority | 20,893 | 36.70 | +11.96 | ||
| Turnout | 56,925 | 48.80 | -2.98 | ||
Ward results edit
Candidates were also elected from wards to the Wellington City Council.[3]
| Party/ticket | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Wellington Alive | 7 | |
| Labour | 3 | |
| Greens | 2 | |
| Alliance | 1 | |
| Independent | 5 |
References edit
- ^ Zatorski, Lidia (12 October 1998). "Blumsky romps in, but voters clip council wings". The Evening Post. p. 6.
- ^ "Cook seeks mayor's job, Ruben ends bid". The Evening Post. 28 August 1998. p. 3.
- ^ a b "How You Voted". The Evening Post. 12 October 1998. p. 6.
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