Botany by-election set for March 5
A by-election for the Botany electorate is to be held on March 5 following the resignation of embattled MP Pansy Wong.
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Voters in Botany will get to vote twice next year because a by-election sparked by embattled MP Pansy Wong's resignation will be held as well as the general election.
Mrs Wong announced her resignation from Parliament at a press conference this morning, saying she was concerned allegations of misuse of taxpayer funded travel would hurt the National Government.
The resignation is effective from January 17 although she will stop being paid from December 20.
Prime Minister John Key said the by-election would be held on Saturday, March 5.
"I would like to recognise the long service and dedication Pansy has given the National Party as both a Cabinet Minister and Member of Parliament.
"She'll be sadly missed by our caucus, but she's clearly indicated to me that for personal reasons she doesn't want to go through any more of this."
He said she had worked hard. "Her commitment to Botany and ethnic communities all over New Zealand cannot be questioned and she will be missed."
Mrs Wong entered Parliament as a list MP in 1996 and won the seat of Botany in the 2008 general election.
The by-election writ day -- when the Governor-General writes to the chief electoral officer asking him to starting organising the election -- will be February 1.
Candidate nominations have to be in by February 8.
Chief electoral officer Robert Peden said people in Botany needed to be clear there would be no party vote as only the local MP was being elected.
Advance voting and voting from overseas will start on February 16.
He urged Botany residents to enrol early so they could get an EasyVote card which made voting easier.
A general election will be held later next year.
NZPA
Tue, 14 Dec 2010
Tue, 14 Dec 2010
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Botany by-election set for March 5
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