ACT withdraws from Coromandel to prop up National

green-party

Fri Oct 22 1999 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)

ACT withdraws from Coromandel to prop up National

Friday, 22 October 1999, 4:53 pm
Press Release: Green Party

ACT's withdrawal from Coromandel confirms the Right is running scared over Green support in the key seat, Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons said today.

ACT deputy leader Ken Shirley confirmed in The Waikato Times today that his party would not be standing a candidate in Coromandel in order to try to keep the right-wing vote from being split.

The admission comes three weeks after vehement denials from ACT leaders on the subject when the Green Party first publicised ACT's withdrawal.

Ms Fitzsimons said that ACT's decision not to stand a candidate in Coromandel was a two-for-one deal with National.

"ACT stands aside in Coromandel and Tauranga, the two seats National is most worried about, and in return gets a free run at Wellington Central," she said.

When the Green Party first revealed ACT's withdrawal plans, a press release from ACT president Sir Roger Douglas said Ms Fitzsimons was "talking utter nonsense about ACT's plans" in Coromandel.

Late this afternoon, following ACT's admission, that press release was still sitting on ACT's Coromandel Electorate home-page.

"It just shows - like I said three weeks ago - that ACT's right hand has no idea what it's far-right hand is doing," Ms Fitzsimons said.

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