Alliance Party releases party list

NEW ZEALAND HERALD: The once influential Alliance party has released its list of candidates for the coming election, but has little or no chance of returning to the halls of power.

Co-leaders Kay Murray and Andrew McKenzie take up the first party list two spots. Ms Murray is standing in Dunedin South, while Mr McKenzie is contesting Port Hills.

The party is barely registering in the polls and it would take a political miracle for them to get above the 5 per cent support threshold to return to Parliament.

The party's political high point came in 1999 when several left-leaning parties under the leadership of Jim Anderton was junior partner in a coalition government with Labour.

The Alliance gained 7.74 per cent of the vote and brought 10 MPs to Parliament.

Labour's Helen Clark became Prime Minister, with Mr Anderton her deputy, and a number of Alliance MPs such as Laila Harre became ministers.

Within a year the government had reformed employment law, re-nationalising ACC, setting a new $60,000 tax bracket and announced the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, as well as Kiwibank.

The September 11 attacks and the subsequent invasion of Afghanistan tore the party apart as the government sent troops to join the invading coalition against many Alliance MPs' wishes.

Within six months the party divided into those who backed the invasion - led by Mr Anderton - and those who did not, under Ms Harre.

Mr Anderton formed the Progressives and returned to Parliament by holding on to the Wigram seat.

The Alliance failed to return to Parliament and ceased to become an effective political force.