General Information
At stake in this election:
- The 24 seats in the Cook Islands Legislative Assembly[i]
Description of government structure:
- Chief of State: Queen ELIZABETH II
- Queen’s Representative: Tom MARSTERS (since 27 July 2013)
- New Zealand High Commissioner to Cook Islands: Joanna KEMPKERS (since 19 July 2013)[ii]
- Head of Government: Prime Minister Henry PUNA[iii] (since 30 November 2010)[iv]
- Assembly: Cook Islands has a bicameral Parliament. The House of Ariki (upper house; advises but has no legislative power and is not elected) and the Legislative Assembly (lower house) has 24 elected seats[v]
Description of electoral system:
- The Queen’s Representative is appointed by the monarch to serve at Her Majesty’s Pleasure
- The New Zealand High Commissioner is appointed by New Zealand government
- The Prime Minister, after legislative elections, is usually the leader of the majority party (or coalition)[vi]
- In the Parliament, the 24 members of the Legislative Assembly are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms[vii]
Election Note:
- In April 2014, the Queen’s Representative, Tom MARSTERS, dissolved Parliament after a visit from Prime Minister Henry PUNA. The election was then scheduled for July 9, 2014.[viii] The government’s term was to end in November 2014.[ix]
Political entities in this electoral race:
- Cook Islands Party (CIP)
- Leader: Henry PUNA
- Seats won in last Assembly elections: 16
- Cook Islands Democratic Party (Demo or DP)
- Leader: Wilkie RASMUSSEN
- Seats won in last Assembly elections: 8
- One Cook Islands Movement Inc
- Leader: Teina BISHOP
- Seats won in last Assembly elections: 0
Last election:
- The last election to the Legislative Assembly in Cook Islands was held on 17 November 2010. The ruling Democratic Party (DP) led by Robert George WIGMORE competed against the opposition Cook Islands Party (CIP) led by Henry PUNA. With a total of 8,418 votes cast, the CIP won the election with 16 seats, while the ruling DP attained only 8 seats. Henry PUNA became Prime Minister. Results can be found here.
Population and Voter Registration:
[i] http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-05-15/rushed-elections-in-cook-islands-left-women-candidates-behind/5454408
[ii] http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/219865/nz-appoints-new-high-commissioner-to-cook-islands
[iii] Prime Minister Henry PUNA is seeking a second consecutive term.
[iv] https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cw.html
[v] https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cw.html
[vi] https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cw.html
[vii] https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cw.html
[viii] http://www.mfem.gov.ck/mfemdocs/stats/other-information/elections/290-public-notice-1/file
[ix] http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-22/cook-islands-elections-july/5403548
[x] http://www.mfem.gov.ck/population-and-social-statistics
[xi] http://www.electionguide.org/elections/id/1573/