style Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) voting system neither is likely to win an overall majority in the 120-seat Parliament, but will require coalition partners to govern. Latest opinion polls show Labour slightly ahead of the Nationals with the nationalist New Zealand First in a position to decide which to support and form the next government. But neither Clark nor Brash is keen on having New Zealand First as a coalition partner and its leader Winston Peters has indicated he could sit on the cross benches, playing a spoiling role some commentators see as potentially destabilizing for a government on the left or the right. That would make a workable coalition dependent on the Greens, who have ruled out working with the Nationals, or the new Maori Party, an unknown quantity led by Labour rebel Tariana Turia. Labour and the Nationals have been see-sawing in the polls for 18 months with the government forging ahead recently after major policy moves to remove interest from university student loan debts and to boost tax relief for families. Labour says it wants to help parents bringing up the next generation. The Nationals say all workers are entitled to tax relief and they will release details of their policy on this on Monday.
