Such has been the extraordinary nature of this election campaign that the script surely demands an extraordinary ending.
Anything else will leave those watching this political theatre par excellence feeling distinctly short-changed.
That would be very much the case if the result merely echoed the current arrangement which has National governing in the minority with backing on confidence and supply from Act, United Future and the Maori Party.
That could easily happen. National, of course, would be well satisfied with that.
But it is potential eventualities either side of that "repeat" scenario which are intriguing.
The first is that John Key actually achieves the impossible and wins a majority in National's own right. This remains highly unlikely especially for a second-term government. Moreover, as happened to Labour in 2002 and National in 2011, the 50 per cent-plus poll ratings which the governing party had enjoyed for months has evaporated in the white-hot heat of the election campaign. Yet to see Key on the campaign trail is to witness him being accorded rock-star treatment wherever he goes.
It begs a question: is something really phenomenal happening out there? This week this column argued the left may have made a critical mistake in hitching its wagon to one Kim Dotcom and predicted there might well be a backlash against the left which might manifest itself in galvanising potential National sympathisers to make it to the ballot box.
The Herald's pollsters, DigiPoll, report that support for National spiked sharply upwards on Monday night following Dotcom's failure to deliver on his boast that he would prove Key to be a liar.
It remains utterly fanciful, however to think all this will result in National being able to govern alone. More likely, Key will face difficult choices - such as the following. National will likely win close to half the seats in Parliament. But not enough to govern even with the help of Act, United Future and the Maori Party. Colin Craig's Conservative Party will fail to clear the threshold. New Zealand First will succeed in doing so.
Winston Peters could hold the balance of power. He will refuse to work with Act and the Maori Party. Key will have to ditch loyal support partners in favour of Peters. Or stare Peters down with a confidence vote. Now that would be extraordinary.
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