General elections were held in the
Cook Islands 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
The United Cook Islanders was a political party in the Cook Islands. It was established on 16 February 1968 in order to challenge the then-dominant Cook Islands Party and provide a more organised opposition. The party was organised by David Hosk ...
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
The United Cook Islanders was a political party in the Cook Islands. It was established on 16 February 1968 in order to challenge the then-dominant Cook Islands Party and provide a more organised opposition. The party was organised by David Hosk ...
(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, and four candidates from the party contested the three seats in Takitumu), 18 from the UCI and six independents.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 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
Elected members
References
Further reading
*
{{Cook Islands elections
Elections in the Cook Islands
Cook
Cook or The Cook may refer to:
Food preparation
* Cooking, the preparation of food
* Cook (domestic worker), a household staff member who prepares food
* Cook (professional), an individual who prepares food for consumption in the food industry
* ...
General election
A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
Cook Islands general election