MOSCOW, Aug 17 -- The prime minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, has decided to postpone the general election in the country to October 17 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, reported Sputnik news agency.
Ardern was considering several options, including holding the election on September 19, as planned, postponing it for four weeks, or holding it on November 21.
"I have decided, on balance, to move the election by four weeks to the 17th of October. At the end of last week, I was advised that this date is achievable and presents no greater risk than had we retained the status quo," Ardern said during a press briefing broadcast on Facebook.
Last week, New Zealand registered four new cases for the first time in 102 days, prompting the authorities to impose quarantine on the country's largest city of Auckland.
New Zealand has confirmed a total of 1,271 cases, with a death toll of 22.
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