New Zealand counts down to verdicts on cannabis and euthanasia votes

Campaigners for legal changes could be stymied by voter desire for the status quo after a tumultuous year

The results of New Zealand's referendums on whether to legalise cannabis and euthanasia will be released this week, with campaigners nervous that the upheavals of 2020 could have tilted the vote to the status quo.

Political experts say that in years of unrest and instability voters tend to veer towards keeping things as they are, which could affect the likelihood of both referendum questions passing.