Cook Islands general election, 2018

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Cook Islands general election, 2018
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←  2014 14 June 20182022 →
24 seats
13 seats needed for a majority
Turnout 68.85%

 First partySecond partyThird party
  Noimage.png Henry Puna 2015.jpg Noimage.png
Leader Tina Browne Henry Puna Teina Bishop
Party DP CIP OCI
Leader sinceApril 2017September 2006April 2014
Leader's seat Rakahanga (lost) Manihiki Did not contest
Last election9132
Seats won11101
Seat changeIncrease2.svg2Decrease2.svg3Decrease2.svg1
Prime Minister before election

Henry Puna
CIP

Prime Minister after election

Henry Puna
CIP

Cook Islands
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This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
the Cook Islands

General elections were held in the Cook Islands on 14 June 2018 to elect the 24 members of the 15th Cook Islands Parliament. [1]

Cook Islands state in the South Pacific Ocean

The Cook Islands is a self-governing island country in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand. It comprises 15 islands whose total land area is 240 square kilometres (92.7 sq mi). The Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers 1,800,000 square kilometres (690,000 sq mi) of ocean.

15th Cook Islands Parliament

The 15th Cook Islands Parliament is the current term of the Parliament of the Cook Islands. Its composition was determined by the 2018 elections on 14 June 2018.

Contents

The nationalist, Cook Islands Party, led by the Prime Minister, Henry Puna, attempted to win a third consecutive term in government. However, the elections resulted in a hung parliament, with the opposition Democratic Party led by Tina Browne becoming the largest party, although Browne failed to win a seat, losing in Rakahanga constituency.

Cook Islands Party

The Cook Islands Party is a nationalist political party in the Cook Islands. It was the first political party founded in the Cook Islands, and one of the two major parties of the islands' politics since 1965.

Prime Minister of the Cook Islands

The Prime Minister of the Cook Islands is the head of government of the Cook Islands, a self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand. The office was established in 1965, when self-government was first granted to the islands. Originally, the title "Premier" was used, but this was replaced by the title of "Prime Minister" in 1981.

Henry Puna Prime Minister of the Cook Islands

Henry Tuakeu Puna is the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands. He is leader of the Cook Islands Party and has been Prime Minister since November 2010.

The Democratic Party won 11 seats, the Cook Islands Party 10 seats, One Cook Islands Movement one seat, with independent candidates winning two seats. [2] Following the election, the Cook Islands Party joined forces with the independents and One Cook Islands to retain power. [3]

The One Cook Islands Movement, formerly known as "Cook Islands One" is a political party in the Cook Islands. It was established in May 2014.

Electoral system

The 24 members of the Parliament of the Cook Islands are elected from single-member constituencies by first-past-the-post voting. [4] As of 12 June 2018, there were 10,917 people enrolled to vote in the elections. [5]

Parliament of the Cook Islands unicameral legislature of the Cook Islands

The Parliament of the Cook Islands is the legislature of the Cook Islands. Originally established under New Zealand’s United Nations mandate it became the national legislature on independence in 1965.

First-past-the-post voting voting system in which voters select one candidate, and the candidate who receives more votes than any other candidate wins

A first-past-the-post electoral system is one in which voters indicate on a ballot the candidate of their choice, and the candidate who receives the most votes wins. This is sometimes described as winner takes all. First-past-the-post voting is a plurality voting method. FPTP is a common, but not universal, feature of electoral systems with single-member electoral divisions, and is practiced in close to one third of countries. Notable examples include Canada, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as most of their current or former colonies and protectorates.

Results

Final results were published on 28 June [6] .

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Democratic Party 11+2
Cook Islands Party 10–3
One Cook Islands Movement 1–1
Titikaveka Oire00
Independents2+2
Invalid/blank votes–––
Total240
Registered voters/turnout10,917––
Source: Radio NZ Justice minister

Aftermath

As of 15 June 2018, a government is yet to be formed, and will likely require the confidence and supply of the One Cook Islands Movement or the independent members. Although the Democratic Party won the most seats, neither leader Tina Browne nor Deputy Leader James Beer were elected to Parliament. The constitution of the Cook Islands requires the Prime Minister to be a member of parliament [7] .

On 7 July the Cook Islands party formed an alliance with independent MPs Rose Toki-Brown and Robert Tapaitau, and One Cook Islands movement’s George Maggie to retain power. [8] Toki-Brown, Tapaitau and Maggie were all appointed to Cabinet, replacing Ministers who had lost their seats.

Six electoral petitions were filed, challenging the results in Rakahanga, Murienua, Pukapuka-Nassau, Avatiu-Ruatonga-Palmerston, Ngatangiia, and Mauke. [9] Parliament will not sit until the outcome of these petitions has been resolved.

Related Research Articles

Jim Marurai is a Cook Islands politician and former Prime Minister of the Cook Islands. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

The Democratic Party is a liberal political party in the Cook Islands. As a result of the 2018 Cook Islands election, it is currently the largest party in the Cook Islands Parliament.

2006 Cook Islands general election

General elections were held in the Cook Islands on September 27, 2006 in order to elect 24 MPs to the Cook Islands Parliament. The Democratic Party remained in power, winning 15 of 24 seats. A total of 8,497 voters turned out to vote.

2004 Cook Islands general election

General elections were held in the Cook Islands on 7 September 2004. Initial results showed the Democratic Party winning by a wide margin, but close results led to 11 electoral petitions being filed, delaying the date Parliament could sit until mid-December. In the interim, Prime Minister Robert Woonton announced that he was forming a coalition government with the rival Cook Islands Party. This led to a split within the Democrats, with Woonton and four other MPs leaving to form the Demo Tumu Party. With 14 MPs, the coalition had a comfortable majority in Parliament.

2010 Cook Islands general election

General elections were held in the Cook Islands on 17 November 2010 in order to elect 24 MPs to the Cook Islands Parliament. The elections were won by the Cook Islands Party, which won 16 of the 24 seats. Voter turnout was 78%.

Robert George Wigmore was a Cook Islands politician and former Deputy Prime Minister of the Cook Islands and Cabinet Minister. He was leader of the Cook Islands Democratic Party.

Tereapii (Apii) Piho is a Cook Islands politician and former Cabinet Minister.

Tom Marsters New Zealand politician

Sir Tom John Marsters, is the 7th Queen's Representative to the Cook Islands. He is a former Deputy Leader of the Cook Islands Party and Deputy Prime Minister of the Cook Islands.

Piho Rua is a Cook Islands politician and member of the Cook Islands Parliament.

Rakahanga (Cook Islands electorate)

Rakahanga is a Cook Islands electoral division returning one member to the Cook Islands Parliament. Its current representative is Piho Rua, who has held the seat since 2004.

Sir Pupuke Robati, KBE was a Cook Island politician who was the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands from 29 July 1987 to 1 February 1989.

Taunga Toka is a Cook Islands politician and member of the Cook Islands Parliament. He is a member of the Cook Islands Democratic Party.

2014 Cook Islands general election

A general election was held in the Cook Islands on 9 July 2014. It determined the membership of the 14th Cook Islands Parliament.

Vainetutai Rose Toki-Brown is a Cook Islands politician, and Cabinet Minister. In July 2016 she became the Cook Islands' first female Leader of the Opposition.

2018 Antiguan general election

General elections were held in Antigua and Barbuda on 21 March 2018 to elect members to House of Representatives of the 16th Antigua and Barbuda Parliament. Each of the 17 constituencies elected one Member of Parliament (MP).

Te-Hani Rose Alexandra Brown is a Cook Islands politician and member of the Cook Islands Parliament. She is an independent.

Robert Taimoe Tapaitau is a Cook Islands politician and Cabinet Minister. He represents the electorate of Penrhyn as an independent.

Tina Pupuke-Browne is a member of the Cook Islands Parliament. She is leader of the Democratic Party.

References

  1. ↑ Cook Island elections to be held on June 14 Radio NZ, 13 April 2018
  2. ↑ "2018 General Election Live Blog". Cook Islands News.
  3. ↑ "Cook Islands Cabinet revealed". Radio New Zealand International. 10 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  4. ↑ Cook Islands 2014 elections in brief Electoral Office
  5. ↑ "Cook Islands Elections". Ministry of Finance and Economic Management.
  6. ↑ Cook Islands Parliamentary Elections 2018 Public Notice No.8
  7. ↑ Article 13.2.a Constitution
  8. ↑ Rashneel Kumar (7 July 2018). "CIP set to maintain power". Cook Islands News. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  9. ↑ Rashneel Kumar (7 July 2018). "Democratic Party files four out of six petitions". Cook Islands News. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
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