New Zealand's conservative Opposition leader has claimed victory in national elections, but warned of tough times ahead because of the global economic downturn. The National Party's John Key will become New Zealand's 38th prime minister, ending nine years of rule by Labour's Helen Clark, Associated Press reported. The multimillionaire former foreign currency trader told a crowd of supporters on Saturday night that New Zealanders had «voted in their hundreds of thousands for change.» The country is already in recession and Key warned that the global economic downturn would mean tough times ahead, but said hard work and ingenuity would help the country pull through them.
