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j NEW ZEALAND •
___________ "n
Voters switching J
off election bore:
WELLINGTON, Monday
(AAP). — New Zealand's elec
tion campaign, which has seen
thousands staying off the elec
toral rolls and many more away
from their television screens,
was officially declared a nation
al bore today.
But the Prime Minister, Mr
Lange, who has kept an unchar
acteristically low profile on the
hustings, was notapologctic.
UI think the voters are pro
foundly bored by a lot of as
pects of this campaign," he said,
predicting that this would as
sure him victory on Saturday.
"As I have said countless
times, this is an utterly predict
able Government and, as I have
also said before, predictable to
the point of boring.
"Voters know this Govern
ment ... we are not promising
any about-turns, U-turns or
zig-zags. We are constant."
Certainly the campaign has
been an anti-climax.
Especially after three years of
Labour which has turned the
New Zealand economy into a
free-market paradise, while
making Wellington a centre of
world controversy with its an-"^
ti-nuclear stand and handling of*;
the Rainbow Warrior Affair'
with France.
But despite past excitement,';!',
electoral officials say more than
140,000 people already have' .'
waived their democratic rights'"
by not enrolling.
Many more arc not expected^
to take part, as voting is not"'!
compulsory.
Meanwhile, television adver-^
tisers and broadcasters say rat-,;
ings at normal peak viewing
times have oeen cut by at leasfT
14 per cent as more and more-j
people switch off rather than be*,
bombarded by political adver-^Jj
tiscments shown simultaneous**;
ly on the country's two*i
channels. ,tj,|
Unperturbed, Mr Lange;~|
wants to capitalise on this ap*;
parent apathy in the interests of?, i
better government. |
He confirmed today that si£j
referendum would be held with«j j
in 18 months on whether parlia«> ;
mentary terms should be^,J
increased to four years from the^;
present three.
X
The reports in the World News and Feature pages are contrib-5!
uted mainly by Australian Associated Press (AAP), Associated^;
Press (AP), Agcnce France-Presse (AFP), the Press Associations >
(PA), Reuter, South-North News Service, The Guardian, Th(!£\
Independent, and Knight-Ridder Newspapers (KRD). . 3 |
$