Ruling Party Elects Leader in New Zealand

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Deputy Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer was elected leader of the ruling Labor Party today, placing him in line to succeed New Zealand Prime Minister David Lange.

Lange, who announced his resignation Monday, is expected to formally hand over the prime minister’s office to Palmer later today when they meet Governor General Paul Reeves.

Political analysts say Palmer, a 47-year-old lawyer, represents the center of the party, which has been hit in recent months by factional fighting. Housing and Health Minister Helen Clark will succeed him, making her the highest ranking woman in New Zealand politics.

“I’m so pleased the heritage of the party is locked into the people who will honor it,” Lange told reporters after announcing Palmer’s election in a party caucus. Asked for the voting numbers, he said, “That’s a matter which I don’t know.”

Lange announced his resignation after his party’s members in the House of Assembly voted to return to the Cabinet former Finance Minister Roger Douglas, his one-time ally but now archrival. He fired Douglas last December in a dispute over the pace and scope of economic reform in New Zealand.

Lange, 47, who underwent a heart operation last year, also cited health as a reason for quitting. He said he intends to remain in the House of Assembly, or Parliament.

In 1984, Lange stirred controversy when his government denied permission for U.S. warships to enter New Zealand ports because Washington refused to confirm or deny whether specific ships carried atomic weapons.

On Monday, before Palmer’s election, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said in Washington, “We are hopeful . . . that Prime Minister Lange’s successor will reassess New Zealand’s anti-nuclear policy.”