April 17 (Reuters) – New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on Friday he had the full support of his party’s lawmakers, responding to media reports that some members will push for a leadership change when parliament returns next week.
The New Zealand Herald said that members of his National Party will move against him next week, although it is unlikely to be a formal challenge or confidence vote in the first instance.
“I talk to my caucus all the time. I’m very confident I have the full support of my caucus,” Luxon told a press conference.
“If we had an election today, this government would be reinstated,” he added.
The next general election is scheduled for November 7.
Several recent polls have shown the National Party is struggling to poll above 30%, with some polls indicating the ruling coalition might not have the numbers to return to power after the election.
At the same time, Luxon’s popularity as prime minister has also fallen. A March RNZ-Reid Research poll found 20.7% of people preferred opposition leader Chris Hipkins as prime minister, while just 17.3% preferred Luxon.
(Reporting by Christine Chen in Sydney and Lucy Craymer in Wellington; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
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