Elections in the Cook Islands gives information on election

Election

An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...

 and election results in the Cook Islands

Politics of the Cook Islands

The politics of the Cook Islands, an associated state, takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democracy within a constitutional monarchy. The Queen of New Zealand, represented in the Cook Islands by the Queen's Representative, is the Head of State; the Chief Minister is the...

.

The Cook Islands elects on national level a legislature

Legislature

A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...

. The Parliament of the Cook Islands

Parliament of the Cook Islands

The Parliament of the Cook Islands is the legislature of the Cook Islands. Originally established under New Zealand colonial rule, it became the national legislature on independence in 1965....

has 24 members, elected for a four year term in single-seat constuencies. The Cook Islands have a two-party system

Two-party system

A two-party system is a system where two major political parties dominate voting in nearly all elections at every level of government and, as a result, all or nearly all elected offices are members of one of the two major parties...

, which means that there are two dominant political parties

Political Parties

Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy is a book by sociologist Robert Michels, published in 1911 , and first introducing the concept of iron law of oligarchy...

, with extreme difficulty for anybody to achieve electoral success under the banner of any other party.

An election was held on September 26, 2006, after the opposition Cook Islands Party

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....

 won a byelection in Matevera, leaving the government without a majority. The result was a close victory for the Democratic Party.

The next election will be held in September, 2010.

Latest election

By-elections

Below is a list of recent by-elections:

Election	Date	Reason	Winner
1965 Te-Ao-O-Tonga by-election	July 1965	Resignation of Marguerite Story Marguerite Story Marguerite Henry Story was the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Cook Islands from 1965 to 1979. Story was the first woman elected to the Cook Islands Parliament and was also the first woman in the Commonwealth to become speaker of a national parliament.Marguerite Henry was born in...	Albert Henry Albert Henry Albert Royle Henry was the first Premier of the Cook Islands. He was forced to resign from that post in a 1978 voting scandal for which he was later convicted of fraud...  (CIP)
1965 Mauke by-election	November 1967		Tupui Henry (CIP)
1994 Ivirua by-election	December 1994		Jim Marurai Jim Marurai Jim Marurai is a Cook Islands politician and former Prime Minister of the Cook Islands. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Personal life:...  (CIP)
2000 Pukapuka-Nassau by-election	28 September 2000		Tiaki Wuatai (NAP)
2002 Penrhyn by-election Penrhyn by-election 2002 The Penrhyn by-election was a by-election in the Cook Islands electorate of Penrhyn. It was held in June 2002, and was precipitated by the disqualification of Tepure Tapaitau.The poll was won by the Cook Islands Party's Wilkie Rasmussen....	June 2002	Disqualification of Tepure Tapaitau Tepure Tapaitau Tepure Tapaitau QSM was a Cook Islands politician, Cabinet Minister, and Deputy Leader of the Cook Islands Democratic Party....	Wilkie Rasmussen Wilkie Rasmussen Wilkie Olaf Patua Rasmussen is a Cook Islands politician and former Cabinet Minister. He is deputy leader of the Cook Islands Democratic Party, and represents the constituency of Penrhyn....  (CIP)
2003 Rua’au by-election Rua'au by-election 2003 The Rua'au by-election was a by-election in the Cook Islands seat of Rua'au. It took place on 14 August 2003, and was precipitated by the death of Democratic Party MP Maria Heather....	14 August 2003	Death of Maria Heather Maria Heather Maria Tapuanoa Heather was a Cook Islands politician and Member of the Cook Islands Parliament. She was a member of the Cook Islands Democratic Party ....	Geoffrey Heather (DP)
2003 Arutanga by-election Arutanga by-election 2003 The Arutanga by-election was a by-election in the Cook Islands seat of Arutanga-Reureu-Nikaupara. It took place on 20 November 2003.The by-election was precipitated by the resignation of Cook Islands Party MP Teina Bishop over budget cuts to his constituency...	20 November 2003	Resignation of Teina Bishop Teina Bishop Teina Bishop is a Cook Islands politician and Cabinet Minister. He represents the constituency of Arutanga-Nikaupara-Reureu....	Teina Bishop Teina Bishop Teina Bishop is a Cook Islands politician and Cabinet Minister. He represents the constituency of Arutanga-Nikaupara-Reureu....  (Independent)
2005 Manihiki by-election Manihiki by-election 2005 The 2005 Manihiki by-election was a by-election in the Cook Islands electorate of Manihiki. It was held on 8 February 2005, shortly after the 2004 general election, and was precipitated by an electoral petition finding the result in the seat to be a dead tie...	8 February 2005	Resignation of Robert Woonton Robert Woonton Dr Robert Woonton was the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands from 11 February 2002 until 11 December 2004, and is a member of the centrist Democratic Party. A medical doctor by training, he became a Member of Parliament for the island of Manihiki...	Henry Puna Henry Puna Henry Tuakeu Puna is the current Prime Minister of the Cook Islands. He is leader of the Cook Islands Party.-Early life:Puna grew up in Aitutaki. He was educated on Aitutaki and Rarotonga before studying law at the University of Auckland in New Zealand and the University of Tasmania in Australia...  (CIP)
2006 Teenui-Mapumai by-election Teenui-Mapumai by-election 2006 The Teenui-Mapumai by-election was a by-election in the Cook Islands electorate of Teenui-Mapumai. It took place on 8 June 2006, and was precipitated by the retirement of Upoko Simpson....	8 June 2006	Retirement of Upoko Simpson	Norman George Norman George Norman George is a Cook Islands politician and former Speaker of the Cook Islands Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister, and Cabinet Minister....  (Independent)
2006 Matavera by-election Matavera by-election 2006 The 2006 Matavera by-election was a by-election in the Cook Islands seat of Matavera. It took place on 19 July 2006, and was precipitated by the conviction of former Police Minister Peri Vaevae Pare for fraud....	19 July 2006	Conviction of Vaevae Pare for fraud	Kiriau Turepu Kiriau Turepu Kiriau Turepu is a Cook Islands politician and member of the Cook Islands Parliament. He is a member of the Cook Islands Party.Turepu was first elected to Parliament in the 2006 Matavera by-election. As a result, the government lost its majority and dissolved Parliament to avoid a confidence vote...  (CIP)
2006 Akaoa by-election Akaoa by-election 2006 The Akaoa by-election was a by-election in the Cook Islands seat of Akaoa. It took place on 29 November 2006, and was precipitated by the seat being a dead tie in the 2006 general election. After a judicial recount, the High Court ordered a by-election....	29 November 2006	Previous election produced tied result	Teariki Heather Teariki Heather Teariki William Heather is a Cook Islands politician and Cabinet Minister. He represents the constituency of Akaoa for the Cook Islands Party....  (CIP)
2007 Titikaveka by-election Titikaveka by-election 2007 The Titikaveka by-election was a by-election in the Cook Islands seat of Titikaveka. It took place on 7 February 2007.At the 2006 election, Robert Wigmore won the seat of Titikaveka by a significant margin...	7 February 2007	Election of Robert Wigmore Robert Wigmore Robert George Wigmore is a Cook Islands politician and former Deputy Prime Minister of the Cook Islands and Cabinet Minister. He is leader of the Cook Islands Democratic Party....  declared invalid	Robert Wigmore Robert Wigmore Robert George Wigmore is a Cook Islands politician and former Deputy Prime Minister of the Cook Islands and Cabinet Minister. He is leader of the Cook Islands Democratic Party....  (DP)
2009 Tamarua by-election Tamarua by-election 2009 The Tamarua by-election was a by-election in the Cook Islands electorate of Tamarua. It was held on 3 february 2009, and was precipitated by the death of sitting MP Mii Parima.The by-election was won by the Cook Islands Party's Pukeiti Pukeiti....	3 February 2009	Death of Mii Parima Mii Parima Mii Parima was a Cook Islands politician and Member of the Cook Islands Parliament. He was a member of the Cook Islands Party....	Pukeiti Pukeiti Pukeiti Pukeiti Pukeiti Pukeiti is a Cook Islands politician and Member of the Cook Islands Parliament. He is a member of the Cook Islands Party. He represents the electorate of Tamarua....  (CIP)
2011 Pukapuka by-election	7 June 2011	Election of Tekii Lazaro Tekii Lazaro Tekii Lazaro is a Cook Islands politician and Member of the Cook Islands Parliament. He is a member of the Cook Islands Party.Lazaro served for 35 years in the Cook Islands Police. He stood in the seat of Pukapuka-Nassau in the 2010 election, and narrowly won the seat on the night. A subsequent... declared invalid