National MP could face axe with special votes

A grim election result for National could get even worse.

List MP Katherine Rich is in danger of being tipped out of Parliament on special votes.

Mrs Rich was the last of National's list MPs to be returned to Parliament.



If the 161,978 special votes cast are shared between parties in the same proportion as those already counted, Mrs Rich will lose her place.

If she does, she would be replaced by Labour's Moana Mackey.



Ms Mackey would join her mother, Janet, as a Labour MP.

New United Future MP Paul Adams is next most precariously placed, at No 9 on his party's list.



Mr Adams could well be replaced by Rob Harris, who is No 14 on the New Zealand First list.

In 1999, special votes put Greens list candidate Keith Locke into Parliament at the expense of Labour's Lynne Pillay.



Ms Pillay returned to Parliament more permanently on Saturday by winning the West Auckland seat of Waitakere.

Mrs Rich is in double danger of losing her place.

If National overturns the election day result in Hamilton East and MP Tony Steel retains the seat, Mrs Rich is out.

Mr Steel was 402 votes behind Labour's Dianne Yates on election day.

An Electoral Office spokeswoman said special votes from overseas and the defence forces would also influence the final result.

An official election result would be declared on August 10.

Preliminary results announced on election night were being rechecked by a justice of the peace and party scrutineers, Chief Electoral Officer David Henry said.

Special votes would be included in the official count once the enrolment details of each voter had been checked.

- NZPA

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