No GE backdown, say Greens

11.30am - By HELEN TUNNAH

Helen Clark will speak with the Greens and United Future over the coming days as she attempts to shore up support for a Labour-led government after yesterday's general election.

However the Green Party made it clear today they would not back away from their bottom-line policy, to withdraw support for any government that lifts the moratorium on the commercial release of genetically modified organisms in October next year.

Miss Clark last night said her preferred option was for a minority coalition government, with Progressive Coalition, with support from other parties as needed.

She said Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons had already given their backing to Labour's attempts to form a government.

A Labour-Progressive Coalition alliance would deliver 54 seats in the 120-seat Parliament. Green backing would add another eight seats, and a majority for votes on money supply and confidence.

Miss Clark said today Labour still planned to lift the moratorium.

"I do not expect in October next year there to be a will in Parliament to go to a fresh election."

Green Party co-leader Rod Donald said today his party had many principles but there was one bottom-line.

"We're the only party that's going to ensure a centre-left government remains in power and we hope the Labour party will come to its senses on [the GE] issue.

"It's extraordinary isn't it that if a small party stands up for its principles it has to be expected to be punished by a big party, and that says quite a lot about the way the Labour party operates.

"We'll stick with our principle."

If the Greens withheld support in October, Miss Clark could then turn to United Future for support from its nine MPs, but leader Peter Dunne has already indicated he wants there to be some talks now with Labour about how to progress their core policies.

He would not say what they were, but said they related to the family and social justice.

Last night's results from the snap election, called four months early by Miss Clark on the back of high poll ratings, delivered Labour a slightly improved result from 1999.

Labour picked up 41 per cent of the vote, 2.5 per cent more than three years ago, to secure three more MPs. Their block of 52 MPs is comfortably the largest after the collapse of National.

It will have 12 fewer MPs, down from 39 to 27, after the party vote slumped from 30.5 per cent last election to just over 21 per cent.

Ten sitting National MPs have lost their seats, while many of the much-touted "new blood" were not elected.

New Zealand First secured the third largest group of votes, 10.58 per cent for 13 MPs, but appear likely to be shut out of a coalition. Miss Clark has said she does not want to do business with NZ First leader Winston Peters. She said he had fired the only "ugly" note of the campaign with his anti-immigration and anti-Treaty policies which set New Zealander against New Zealander.

Act performed only marginally better than last election, with 7.09 per cent, and will have nine MPs.

Jim Anderton secured Wigram, with a much-reduced majority, and the Progressive Coalition's 1.75 per cent of the vote should be enough to return Matt Robson to Parliament. However the Democrats, who sided with Anderton in this year's vicious split in the Alliance, will not get any MPs elected in his new party.

The Alliance was wiped out. Leader Laila Harre could not pull off an upset win in Waitakere, and the party polled weakly on the party vote.

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