1968 Cook Islands general election

1968 Cook Islands general election
	All 22 seats in the Legislative Assembly; 13 seats needed for a majority
Albert Henry; Cook Islands	Albert Henry; Cook Islands

General elections were held in the Cook Islands on 1 May 1968. The result was a victory for the Cook Islands Party (CIP), which won 16 seats, a gain of two from the 1965 elections. The newly formed United Cook Islanders 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 (UCI), was formed. Its members included former cabinet members Mana Strickland and Manea Tamarua. The new party launched its manifesto on 8 April.^[1]

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.^[2] Former Leader of Government Business Dick Charles Brown had intended to run as an independent, but withdrew.^[3] The CIP candidates were returned unopposed in Mauke and Mitiaro.^[2]

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.^[3] In contrast, UCI meetings were usually attended by fewer than 100 people.^[3]

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.^[3]



Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Cook Islands Party	12,569	65.12	16	+2
	United Cook Islanders	6,352	32.91	6	New
	Independents	379	1.96	0	0
Total		19,300	100.00	22	0

Valid votes		6,858	99.23
Invalid/blank votes		53	0.77
Total votes		6,911	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		7,603	90.90
Source: Stone^[4]

By electorate

Constituency	Candidate		Votes
Aitutaki–Manuae	William Estall	Cook Islands	890
	Joseph Williams	Cook Islands	888
	Ngaa Upu	Cook Islands	816
	Dora Harrington	Independent	146
	John Robert George Dick	Independent	89
	Rata Toa	Independent	72

Atiu	Vainerere Tangatapoto	United Cook Islanders	314
	Tangata Simiona	United Cook Islanders	280
	Mariri Paratainga	Cook Islands	185
	Pakari Tutai	Cook Islands	135

Mangaia	Ngatupuna Matepi	United Cook Islanders	594
	Pokino Aberahama	United Cook Islanders	587
	Turaraiti Pekepo	Cook Islands	164

Manihiki	Nato Temu	Cook Islands	115
	Mareko Mareko	United Cook Islanders	53
	Ben Pukerua	Independent	33
	Glassie Strickland	Independent	29

Mauke	Tupui Ariki Henry	Cook Islands	Unopposed

Mitiaro	Raui Pokoati	Cook Islands	Unopposed

Penrhyn	Tangaroa Tangaroa	United Cook Islanders	219
	Tuauri Hakaoro	Cook Islands	42
	Fred Ford	Independent	10

Puaikura	Taru Moana	Cook Islands	550
	Tamataia Pera Maurangi	Cook Islands	547
	Alexander Munro	United Cook Islanders	287
	Napa Tauei Napa	United Cook Islanders	282

Pukapuka–Nassau	Inatio Akaruru	Cook Islands	233
Pukapuka–Nassau	John Tariau	Cook Islands	134

Rakahanga	Pupuke Robati	United Cook Islanders	90
Rakahanga	Howard Howard	Cook Islands	32

Takitumu	Apenera Short	Cook Islands	574
	Tiakana Numanga	Cook Islands	532
	Samuela Samuela	Cook Islands	396
	Jean Domonique Upoko Crummer Peyroux	United Cook Islanders	305
	Kamate Areora Ira	United Cook Islanders	301
	William Cowan	United Cook Islanders	276
	Taramai Tetonga	Cook Islands	198

Te-au-o-Tonga	Albert Henry	Cook Islands	1,682
	Teanua Kamana	Cook Islands	1,568
	Teaukura Roi	Cook Islands	1,470
	Kamate Nangaiti	Cook Islands	1,418
	Manea Teariki Tamarua	United Cook Islanders	717
	Mana Strickland	United Cook Islanders	694
	David Marama Hosking	United Cook Islanders	679
	Marama Tepou Nicholas	United Cook Islanders	674
Source: Cook Islands Gazette,^[5]^[6] Stone,^[4] Pacific Islands Monthly^[7]

References

^ Breakaways seek power in Cooks' elections Pacific Islands Monthly, May 1968, p24
^ ^a ^b David Stone (1970). "Parties and politics in Polynesia: Political trends in the self-governing Cook Islands". Journal of the Polynesian Society. 79 (2): 179.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Albert Henry back in the Cooks with a bang Pacific Islands Monthly, June 1968, p24
^ ^a ^b Stone, David Joseph (January 1971). Self Rule in the Cook Islands: The Government and Politics of a New Micro-State (PDF). Canberra. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2019.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ "The Cook Islands Gazette No. 33/1968". Library of Congress. 9 July 1968.
^ "The Cook Islands Gazette No. 36/1968". Library of Congress. 25 July 1968.
^ Pacific Islands Monthly