General elections were held in the

Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , langu ...

on 1 May 1968. The result was a victory for the

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. From 1999 until 2005 it sometimes ...

(CIP), which won 16 seats, a gain of two from the 1965 elections. The newly formed United Cook Islanders won the other six seats to become the parliamentary opposition. CIP leader Albert Henry continued as Prime Minister.

Campaign

In February a new party, the United Cook Islanders (UCI), was formed. Its members included former cabinet members Mana Strickland and Manea Tamarua. The new party launched its manifesto on 8 April.Breakaways seek power in Cooks' elections
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', May 1968, p24 A total of 55 candidates contested the elections; 23 from the CIP (two candidates from the party ran against each other in

Pukapuka Pukapuka, formerly Danger Island, is a coral atoll in the northern group of the Cook Islands in the Pacific Ocean. It is one of most remote islands of the Cook Islands, situated about northwest of Rarotonga. On this small island, an ancient ...

, and four candidates from the party contested the three seats in Takitumu), 18 from the UCI and six independents. Former Leader of Government Business

Dick Charles Brown Dick Charles Brown (1905 – 6 May 1969) was a Cook Islands businessman and politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly between 1958 and 1965, and became the territory's first Leader of Government Business in 1963. Biography B ...

had intended to run as an independent, but withdrew. The CIP candidates were returned unopposed in Mauke and Mitiaro. The campaign period during April saw meetings held almost every night, with CIP meetings initially drawing crowds of several hundred, rising to over 1,300 by the end of the campaign. In contrast, UCI meetings were usually attended by fewer than 100 people.

Results

The CIP won all nine seats in Rarotonga, and gained the three Aitutaki seats, which had been won by the

Independent Group Independent Group may refer to: * Independent Group (art movement), a group of artists *Independent Group (Kenya), a defunct political party in Kenya *Independent Group (Solomon Islands), a political faction in the Solomon Islands *Independent Grou ...

in 1965. The UCI's former ministers, Strickland and Tamarua, both lost their seats.Albert Henry back in the Cooks with a bang
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', June 1968, p24

Campaign

Results

Elected members

References

Further reading