New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Wednesday he survived a leadership vote among his own party's lawmakers, prompted by a challenge from Defence Minister Chris Penk, less than three months before a general election. The vote took place during a hastily convened, closed-door meeting of Luxon's center-right National Party caucus in Wellington that ran more than three hours, according to the Associated Press. Luxon Fires his ChallengerHours after the vote, Luxon said in a statement that Penk had mounted the leadership challenge and confirmed he had removed Penk from his ministerial portfolios, calling his position "untenable," according to Bloomberg. Second Challenge in 2026Wednesday's vote was the second Luxon has faced since April, when he survived a confidence vote following a drop in National's polling, according to Reuters and the AP. Reaction and OutlookPolitical commentator Neale Jones, a former Labour Party staffer, said Luxon's survival would not erase the damage from the challenge.