The Democratic Party (also known for a time as the Democratic Alliance Party) is a

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...

in the

Cook Islands The Cook Islands is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands whose total land area is approximately . The Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers of ocean. Avarua is its ...

. As a result of the 2022 Cook Islands election, it is currently in opposition, holding five seats in the

Cook Islands Parliament The Parliament of the Cook Islands () is the legislature of the Cook Islands. Originally established under New Zealand administration, it became the national legislature upon independence in 1965. The Parliament consists of 24 members dir ...

Early years

The Democratic Party was founded by Tom Davis in 1971, in opposition to 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) of Albert Henry. In the 1972 election, it won eight seats, breaking the two-thirds majority of the CIP. In

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

, it won power, with Davis becoming

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

. It became one of the two primary parties of the Cook Islands, alternating in power with the CIP. Davis served as prime minister of the Cook Islands from 1978 to 1987, with a brief interruption in 1983 when the Cook Islands briefly returned to power. The Democratic Party remained in power until 1989. In the late 1990s, the party experienced a split, with the majority of the party renamed as the Democratic Alliance Party. A breakaway faction led by

Norman George Norman George (born 2 July 1946) is a Cook Islands politician and former Speaker of the Cook Islands Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister, and Cabinet Minister. George was first elected to the Parliament of the Cook Islands in 1983. He represented ...

was named the

New Alliance Party The New Alliance Party (NAP) was an American political party formed in New York City in 1979. Its immediate precursor was an umbrella organization known as the Labor Community Alliance for Change, whose member groups included the Coalition of Gr ...

. Despite this, the Democratic Party became the largest political party in the 1999 elections, winning 11 of 25 seats. The New Alliance Party, with 4 seats, made a coalition with the Cook Islands party to keep that party in power for several more months, but the coalition soon broke down, and the New Alliance Party formed a coalition party with the Democrats, allowing Democratic party leader

Terepai Maoate Sir Terepai Tuamure Maoate (1 September 1934 – 9 July 2012) was Prime Minister of the Cook Islands from 18 November 1999 to 11 February 2002. He was a member of the Cook Islands Democratic Party. Maoate was born in Rarotonga on 1 September ...

to become prime minister. The Democratic Alliance Party and the New Alliance Party later reunited under the old Democratic Party name. In 2002 Maoate was overthrown in a no confidence vote and replaced by his deputy

Robert Woonton Robert Woonton (born 1949) is a Cook Islands politician and diplomat. He served as Prime Minister of the Cook Islands from 11 February 2002 until 11 December 2004, and later as High Commissioner to New Zealand. He was a member of the centrist De ...

, also a member of the DAP. It formed a coalition with the Cook Islands Party which broke down in 2003.

2004 and 2006 elections

At the next

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...

, 7 September 2004, the Democratic Alliance won 47.2% of popular votes and 12 out of 24 seats. Prime Minister Robert Woonton, though initially believed to have retained his seat, which would have allowed the Democratic Party to have a majority, was determined in a recount to have received an equal number of votes as his opponent, and he lost a revote. The new party leader,

Jim Marurai Jim Marurai (9 July 1947 – November 2020) was a Cook Islands politician who served as Prime Minister of the Cook Islands from 2004 to 2010. He was a member of the Democratic Party (Cook Islands), Democratic Party. Personal life Marurai wa ...

, became prime minister. In 2005, however, Marurai left the party due to internal disputes, founding his own

Cook Islands First Party The Cook Islands First Party (originally known as the Demo Tumu Party, translatable as "Original/True Democratic Party") was a political party in the Cook Islands. The party was originally a faction within the Cook Islands Democratic Party which ...

. Marurai continued to govern with the help of the CIP. Later, however, the agreement with the CIP broke down, and Marurai allied himself with the Democrats again. He has since rejoined the party, continuing to serve as prime minister but not party leader. Terepai Maoate became deputy prime minister and party leader. At the

2006 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2006. * Elections in 2006 * Electoral calendar 2006 * 2006 Acehnese regional election * 2006 American Samoan legislative election * 2006 Bahraini parliamentary election * 2006 Costa Rican presidential e ...

, the Democratic Party gained a majority of seats, winning 15 of the 24 seats.

2010 election campaign

The party suffered from internal strife in the leadup to the 2010 election. In December 2009, Prime Minister Jim Marurai sacked his Deputy Prime Minister,

, sparking a mass-resignation of Democratic Party cabinet members He and new Deputy Prime Minister

Robert Wigmore Robert George Wigmore (8 September 1949 – 13 April 2012) was the leader of the Cook Islands Democratic Party from 2010 – 2012, and Deputy Prime Minister of the Cook Islands from 2009 to 2010. He served as a Minister in the Cabinets of Rob ...

were subsequently expelled from the Democratic Party, and the party withdrew its support. A formal split was averted in June 2010 when a party conference readmitted Marurai, Wigmore, and the other Cabinet members, and appointed Wigmore as party leader, with

Wilkie Rasmussen Wilkie Olaf Patua Rasmussen (born 21 March 1958) is a Cook Islands politician and former Cook Islands Cabinet, Cabinet Minister. From 2013 to 2015 he was leader of the Democratic Party (Cook Islands), Cook Islands Democratic Party. Early life ...

as his deputy. However, several senior MPs, including former leader

and former President

John Tangi John David Tangi (13 November 1950 – 1 August 2018) was a Cook Islands politician, MP, and Clerk of the Cook Islands Parliament. He was a member of the Democratic Party. Tangi was born in Alofi, Niue. He was educated at Nikao and Avarua prim ...

subsequently failed to win reselection and ran as independents. The party launched its campaign on 7 October in vaka Takitumu with the campaign slogan "Our Future. Now." The party promised stability, benefit increases, and public service cuts. It contested every electorate except Arutanga-Nikaupara-Reureu. The party was unsuccessful in the elections, winning only 8 of 24 seats. After the death of Robert Wigmore from cancer in April 2012

was appointed acting leader. His leadership of the party was confirmed at the party's annual conference in August 2012.

Electoral performance

Legislative Assembly

Leaders

* Tom Davis (1971–1987) *

Pupuke Robati Sir Pupuke Robati, KBE (9 April 1925 – 26 April 2009) was a Cook Island politician. He served as Prime Minister of the Cook Islands from 29 July 1987 to 1 February 1989. Robati was from the island of Rakahanga. He completed his primary a ...

(1987–1991) *

(1991 – 21 November 2003) *

(21 November 2003 – 10 May 2004) *

(10 May 2004 – 3 June 2010) *

(3 June 2010 – 13 April 2012) *

(14 April 2012 – 9 April 2015) *

William (Smiley) Heather William Kati (Smiley) Heather (born 7 July 1958) is a Cook Islands politician and former Cabinet Minister. He represented the seat of Ruaau in the Cook Islands Parliament from 2006 to 2022 and is Deputy Leader of the Cook Islands Democratic Pa ...

(16 April 2015 – 13 April 2017) *

Tina Browne Tina Pupuke-Browne (born 4 April 1955) is a Cook Islands politician and a member of the Parliament of the Cook Islands, Cook Islands Parliament. She is the leader of the Democratic Party (Cook Islands), Democratic Party. Career Brown was born in ...

(13 April 2017 – present)

Party presidents

Makiuti Tongia Makiuti Tongia (born 1953) is a Cook Islands poet, academic, diplomat, and public servant. He is the first Cook Islander published in the Cook Islands, and considered to be a trail-blazer in Cook Islands literature and a key figure in the creatio ...

(until 3 June 2010) * Sean Willis (3 June 2010 – present)

References

{{Cook Islands political parties Political parties in the Cook Islands Liberal parties in Oceania Political parties established in 1971 *Main