Democracy assistance & elections news from the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS)
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Country Profile:

Upcoming Elections

  • Parliamentary
    2014

Cook Islands

Description of government structure:

  • Chief of State: Queen ELIZABETH II *
  • Head of Government: Prime Minister Henry PUNA
  • Assembly: Cook Islands has a unicameral Parliament with 25 seats.

* The Queen is represented by Frederick GOODWIN; New Zealand High Commissioner Linda TE PUNI

Description of electoral system:

  • The Queen is hereditary.
  • The Prime Minister is designated by the monarch.**
  • In the Parliament 24 members are elected by plurality vote in single-member constituencies to serve 5-year terms.***

** The leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition usually becomes prime minister.

*** Ten MPs are from the main island of Rarotonga and the rest are from the outer islands.

Population:

  • Population: 11,488 (July 2010 est.)

Future elections

  • Parliamentary - 2014

Past elections

Last Updated on 01/10/2013

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