WELLINGTON, April 21 (Reuters) – New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on Tuesday he had the support of his party’s lawmakers after he called a vote of confidence in his leadership amid a drop in approval ratings for him and his party.
“I moved a formal motion of confidence in my leadership and that motion was passed,” Luxon told reporters after a party room meeting.
“I have the support of my caucus as their leader. Caucus has answered clearly and decisively and has backed my leadership and that matter is now closed.”
Luxon, a former airline executive turned prime minister, has seen his popularity fall over the past year amid a weakening economy and rising unemployment ahead of a national election in November.
Several support polls have shown Luxon’s National Party is struggling to poll above 30%, with some polls indicating the ruling coalition might not have the numbers win the election.
Luxon’s popularity as prime minister has also dipped with a March RNZ-Reid Research poll showing 20.7% of people preferred opposition leader Chris Hipkins as prime minister, while just 17.3% preferred Luxon.
(Reporting by Lucy Craymer in Wellington and Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
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