New Zealand elections end in hung parliament amid influence of smaller parties

Auckland, Nov 8 (UNI) New Zealand faces weeks of political negotiations after a closely contested general election produced no decisive winner, with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon claiming a mandate to form the next government despite uncertainty over the final parliamentary balance. Preliminary results show Luxon's National Party winning 42 seats, the largest share of any party, ahead of the opposition Labour Party, which secured 36. However, with nearly 400,000 special votes yet to be counted, the possibility of a shift in the balance of power remains. Luxon's right-wing coalition partners, the populist NZ First and libertarian ACT, won 12 and…