It is a difficult decision for voters in the United States, as it is in New Zealand. For Americans, it is on Nov. 3, 2020 that they will decide on whether Donald Trump should continue leading their country. For New Zealanders, instead of Sept. 19, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has moved the Parliamentary election to Oct. 17 because of the effects Covid-19 restrictions would have on electioneering.
Despite his many mistakes and numerous lies, diligently counted by critics, US President Donald Trump has the backing of God-fearing voters and conservatives. He is seen as the defender of Christian values and, if not for Covid-19, should have brought America back to greatness. For most Republicans, should Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential candidate, be elected, then the liberals will give priority to individual freedoms ahead of the moral standards that guided the founding fathers of the nation. They question the promise of Biden to restore the Soul of America, when in fact, it is Trump who has kept it close to his heart.
For Democrats, Biden is the only hope for a country that has lost its respect among the family of nations.
In NZ, the liberal Labour Party is predicted to govern alone without need of coalition partners, primarily because of the popularity of its leader, Jacinda Ardern, for her compassion in the aftermath of the bloody mosque killings in 2019; and her transparency and boldness in action against the pandemic. The opposition National Party is on an uphill climb against Ardern who was even called St. Jacinda by an Australian commentator. But she is no saint.
Christian electorates have faulted her for the passage of The Abortion Legislation Act 2020 in March this year that decriminalizes abortion, making this available without restrictions to any woman who is not more than 20 weeks pregnant. If Labour should govern again and both the personal cannabis consumption and the End of Life Choice Act 2019 will win the accompanying referendum, expect New Zealand to become a haven for marijuana users and for assisted dying.
While there is no connection between the US and NZ elections, Trump made reference to Ardern’s handling of the pandemic in a speech on Aug. 19, saying, “New Zealand, by the way, had a big outbreak, and other countries that were held up to try and make us look not as good as we should look and we’ve done an incredible job.”
Of course, New Zealanders simply shrugged off Trump’s comments. While NZ had 22 new cases at the time Trump referred to as a “surge,” the US reported more than 42,000 new cases.
The world is facing the pandemic today, but for US and NZ electorates, they are deciding about their future as well.