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 1 August 2022. A referendum on legalising medical cannabis was held on the same day.

Background

In the 2018 general election, the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

won a plurality with 11 seats but fell short of the 13 required to form a government. The incumbent

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), led by then-prime minister

Henry Puna Henry Tuakeu Puna (born 29 July 1949) is a Cook Islands politician, and the current secretary-general of the Pacific Islands Forum. He was Prime Minister of the Cook Islands from November 2010 to October 2020. Since 2006 he has been leader of th ...

won 10 seats; the

One Cook Islands Movement The One Cook Islands Movement, formerly known as "Cook Islands One" is a political party in the Cook Islands. It was established in May 2014. The party was founded by former Cabinet Minister Teina Bishop after his resignation from Cabinet and exp ...

(OCI) secured a single seat, and independents won the remaining two. The CIP remained in government due to the support of the OCI and independents. In October 2020, Puna resigned as prime minister to run for

secretary-general Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

of the

Pacific Islands Forum The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) is an inter-governmental organization that aims to enhance cooperation between countries and territories of Oceania, including formation of a trade bloc and regional peacekeeping operations. It was founded in 197 ...

. Deputy prime minister Mark Brown succeeded Puna as prime minister and leader of the Cook Islands Party. Brown appointed Robert Tapaitau deputy prime minister.

Electoral system

The 24 members of the

Parliament of the Cook Islands The Parliament of the Cook Islands ( rar, Pāremeta te Kuku Airani) is the legislature of the Cook Islands. Originally established under New Zealand’s United Nations mandate it became the national legislature on independence in 1965. The Par ...

were elected from single-member electorates by

first-past-the-post voting In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast their ...

Campaign

The

Progressive Party of the Cook Islands The Progressive Party of the Cook Islands is a political party in the Cook Islands. It was established in October 2019 and is led by public servant Te Tuhi Kelly. It advocates public service reform and plans to contest the 2022 Cook Islands gener ...

was launched in October 2019 to contest the election. The

(OCI) announced its candidates in November 2021. However, they caused controversy by claiming

Toanui Isamaela Toanui Isamaela is a Cook Islands politician and member of the Cook Islands Parliament. He is a member of the One Cook Islands Movement. Isamaela was first elected to Parliament at the 2010 Cook Islands general election. He was re-elected at ...

and

Teina Bishop Teina Bishop (born 11 April 1959) is a Cook Islands politician, former Cabinet Minister, and leader of the One Cook Islands Movement. He was jailed for corruption in 2016. Bishop was born in Aitutaki and was educated at Araura Primary school ...

would stand as joint OCI–

candidates; this was denied by the Democratic Party, which stated it would be announcing its own candidates and there was no alliance with the OCI. In December 2021 the new Cook Islands United Party, founded by former Deputy Prime Minister

Teariki Heather Teariki William Heather (born 30 July 1959) is a Cook Islands politician and former Cabinet minister who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the Cook Islands from 2013 to 2018. Previously a member of the Cook Islands Party, he is now the leader o ...

in 2018, announced eleven candidates for the elections.

Opinion polls

Preferred Prime Minister

Results

Initial projections showed the Cook Islands Party with 10 seats, the Democrats with 6, the new Cook Islands United Party with 4, and independents with 3. The seat of

Ngatangiia Ngatangiia is one of the five districts that make up the island of Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. It is located in the east of the island, to the south of the districts of Matavera and Avarua, and northeast of the district of Titikaveka Titikave ...

was tied, with the CIP and United candidates on 171 votes each. The final vote count showed the CIP with 12 seats, after it won Ngatangiia and

Titikaveka Titikaveka is one of the five districts that make up the island of Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. It is located in the south of the island, to the south of the districts of Ngatangiia Ngatangiia is one of the five districts that make up the is ...

, where the United Party candidate originally had had a six vote lead. The Democrats won five seats, United three, the

one and independents three.

Aftermath

The CIP began coalition talks on 4 August, and announced that it planned to continue its arrangements with two independents. The United Party ruled out working with the CIP. On 5 August the CIP announced they had secured the support of independents

Te-Hani Brown Te-Hani Rose Alexandra Brown (born 16 March 1996) is a Cook Islands politician and member of the Cook Islands Parliament. She is an independent. Career Te-Hani Brown was born in 1996 in Rarotonga, Cook Islands. Brown is the daughter of MP Rose ...

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 ...

for a governing coalition. On 12 August Mark Brown was reappointed Prime Minister. On 25 August 2022 independent MP

Stephen Matapo Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...

joined the Cook Islands Party, giving the government a total of 15 seats. Following the election, electoral petitions were filed challenging the results in

Mitiaro Mitiaro, the fourth island in the Cook Islands group, is of volcanic origin. Standing in water deep it is across at its widest point. Geography Mitiaro, also known as Nukuroa, is part of the Nga-Pu-Toru island group formerly, a volcano that bec ...

Tengatangi–Areora–Ngatiarua Tengatangi–Areora–Ngatiarua is a Cook Islands electoral division returning one member to the Cook Islands Parliament. Its current representative is the Hon Te Hani Brown, who has held the seat since 2018. The electorate was created in 1981, ...

Teenui–Mapumai Teenui–Mapumai is a Cook Islands electoral division returning one member to the Cook Islands Parliament. The electorate was created in 1981, when the ''Constitution Amendment (No. 9) Act 1980'' adjusted electorate boundaries and split the mul ...

and

Amuri–Ureia Amuri–Ureia is a Cook Islands electoral division returning one member to the Cook Islands Parliament. Its current representative is Toanui Isamaela Toanui Isamaela is a Cook Islands politician and member of the Cook Islands Parliament. He ...

, as well as an application for a recount in Tupapa–Maraerenga. Due to the time taken to resolve the petitions, the Cook Islands Parliament did not sit for the rest of the year, and will not sit until at least March 2023.

References

{{Cook Islands elections Elections in the Cook Islands

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

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

Election and referendum articles with incomplete results