Kim Dotcom fails in New Zealand election

Kim Dotcom and the Manna party he was standing for bombed in the New Zealand general election and admitted that his brand was poison. Image: Vice

The German-born Megaupload founder, who is wanted in the United States on internet piracy charges, established his own political party in an attempt to change the government, believing that this would help his fight against extradition.

Dotcom, who accuses Prime Minister John Key of conspiring with Washington to arrange his arrest, enlisted high-profile fugitives Edward Snowden and Julian Assange to join his campaign by accusing Key's government of mass surveillance.

However, accusations of dirty tricks and spies were swept aside in the general election with Key and his centre-right National Party returned with an increased majority.

Dotcom's best chance of being represented in parliament was through his alliance with the minor Mana Party but their sole MP Hone Harawira lost his seat in the swing away from the left.

"I'm sorry. I take full responsibility for this loss," said Dotcom who is reported to have invested NZ$3.0m in setting up his party.

Kim Dotcom brand was "poison"

New Zealand's Prime Minister, John Key was re-elected in last weekend's general election. Image: ODT

"The brand 'Kim Dotcom' was poison for what we were trying to achieve and that only became apparent to me in the last couple of weeks," he admitted.

After his brief address to the media, Dotcom later tweeted his congratulations to Key: "New Zealanders have chosen National and John Key to lead. I congratulate the Prime Minister. Please do your best for all Kiwis. Good luck," he said.

During the election campaign Dotcom revealed it was not the first time he had targeted a political figure.

He said that as a 19-year-old he had hacked into the German chancellor's credit rating because he "didn't like the guy".

Internet Mana Party political figurehead, Laila Harre, who has previously been an MP with the leftwing Alliance Party before becoming a Greens official, did not believe her new party would now self-destruct.

But she would not speculate on whether the party would move to end its association with Dotcom who she described as "a magnet for rightwing attack".

"Our debriefing meeting will cover what form our relationship should take over the next three years - that will evolve," she said.

"With the campaign finished, we will rapidly move towards much clearer public leadership of the party by me," she added.

Source: AFP via I-Net Bridge