Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has revealed she voted ‘yes’ in both the euthanasia and the cannabis referenda.

The preliminary results of the cannabis referendum indicate a no vote with the official results released this Friday, November 6.

With an estimated 17% of votes still to be counted, 53.1% voted against the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill while 65.2% of Kiwis voted in support of the End of Life Choice Act.

Greens MP Chlöe Swarbrick said: “[These] result shows what we had long assumed, that it was going to be really close and that we need to wait for the specials to be sure of the result.

“We have said from the outset that this would always come down to voter turnout. We’ve had record numbers of special votes, so I remain optimistic.

“New Zealand has had a really mature and ever-evolving conversation about drug laws in this country and we’ve come really far in the last three years.

“Many who have traditionally felt disenfranchised by the political system may have their voices heard at the specials. We’ll wait to see how that plays out.”

Swarbrick took a swipe at Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for refusing to state which way she would vote ahead of the country going to the polls. 

“I’m in the Greens because I have the courage of my convictions,” she said.

“I’m really proud of having stuck my neck out there and made the argument for something that I believe in – something that is evidence-based, something that disproportionately criminalises our most marginalised communities,” she added. 

“Any politician who wants to talk about those kinds of things needs to say those things when it matters.”

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