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 = , lan ...

on 13 October 1958,Important Elections In The Cooks: A Scot Named Viri Vokotini
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', November 1958, p31 the first under universal suffrage.

Background

Following the recommendations of the 1955 Belshaw-Stace Report, the 23-member Legislative Council was replaced by a 27-member Legislative Assembly.A Legislative Assembly Soon for Cooks
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', September 1958, p139 Of the 27 members, 15 were directly elected; 14 from ten general constituencies and one from a European voter constituency. Seven members were indirectly elected by Island Councils (four from Rarotonga and one from

Aitutaki Aitutaki, also traditionally known as Araura and Utataki, is the second most-populated island in the Cook Islands, after Rarotonga. It is an "almost atoll", with fifteen islets in a lagoon adjacent to the main island. Total land area is , and the ...

Atiu Atiu, also known as Enuamanu (meaning ''land of the birds''), is an island of the Cook Islands archipelago, lying in the central-southern Pacific Ocean. Part of the Nga-pu-Toru, it is northeast of Rarotonga. The island's population has dropped b ...

and

Mangaia Mangaia (traditionally known as A'ua'u Enua, which means ''terraced'') is the most southerly of the Cook Islands and the second largest, after Rarotonga. It is a roughly circular island, with an area of , from Rarotonga. Originally heavily popula ...

). The remaining five members were officials, including the Resident Commissioner as President of the Assembly, the Administration Secretary, the Treasurer and two members appointed by the Resident Commissioner.

Campaign

A total of 65 candidates contested the directly elected seats, including former Legislative Council member Willie Watson, who ran under the name Viri Vokotini in one of the general constituencies.

Frank Bateson Frank Maine Bateson (31 October 1909 – 16 April 2007) was a New Zealand astronomer who specialised in the study of variable stars. Biography Bateson was born in Wellington on 31 October 1909 and studied in Australia and New Zealand. His inte ...

and former Chief Judge Alfred McCarthy contested the European seat.

Results

References

{{Cook Islands elections

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

Elections in the Cook Islands 1958 in the Cook Islands October 1958 events in Oceania