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 ...

elects a

legislature A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial power ...

on a national level. The

Parliament of the Cook Islands 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 ...

has 24 members, elected for a four-year term in single-seat constituencies. The Cook Islands has a

two-party system A two-party system is a political party system in which two major political parties consistently dominate the political landscape. At any point in time, one of the two parties typically holds a majority in the legislature and is usually referr ...

, which means that there are two dominant

political parties 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 ideological or p ...

and it is extremely difficult for any other party to achieve electoral success. An election was held on 14 June 2018. The Cook Islands Party lost its majority, winning only 10 of 24 seats, but Prime Minister

Henry Puna Henry Tuakeu Puna (born 29 July 1949) is a Cook Islands politician. He most recently served as the secretary-general of the Pacific Islands Forum from May of 2021 to 2024. He was Prime Minister of the Cook Islands from November 2010 to October 2 ...

was able to put together a coalition by offering cabinet positions to the One Cook Islands Movement's

George Angene George Maggie Angene (born 8 March 1961) is a Cook Islands politician and Cabinet Minister. He is a former member of the Cook Islands Party, and is now a member of the One Cook Islands Movement. Angene was born in Tupapa Rarotonga and attended ...

and independents

Robert Tapaitau Robert Taimoe Tapaitau (born 10 March 1974) is a former Cook Islands politician, Cabinet Minister, and Deputy Prime Minister of the Cook Islands who was convicted of fraud and jailed in 2024. He is the son of former Democratic party cabinet min ...

and

Rose Toki-Brown Vainetutai Rose Toki-Brown (born 7 December 1976) is a Cook Islands politician, and Cabinet Minister. In July 2016 she became the Cook Islands' first female Leader of the Opposition. Career Toki-Brown was born in Areora on Atiu. She was a busi ...

Latest election

By-elections

References

{{Cook Islands topics

Latest election

By-elections

See also

References