2026 Cook Islands general election

2026 Cook Islands general election

12 August 2026

All 24 seats in Parliament 13 seats needed for a majority

Party Leader Vote % Seats +/– Cook Islands Mark Brown 45.3 13 +1 Cook Islands United Teariki Heather 31.1 4 +1 Independents – 10.9 7 +4 This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below. Prime Minister before Prime Minister after election Mark Brown Cook Islands Mark Brown Cook Islands

General elections were held in the Cook Islands on 12 August 2026 to determine the composition of the 19th Parliament.

Voting on the island of Nassau in the electorate of Pukapuka–Nassau was delayed to 13 August due to adverse weather.

Electoral system

The 24 members of Parliament were elected from single-member electorates by first-past-the-post voting.

There were approximately 11,000 registered voters for this election.

Results

Based on preliminary results, the Cook Islands Party looked to have won 12 out of the 24 seats of the parliament, the Cook Islands United Party won four, and the Democratic Party did not win any seats. Cook Islands Party leader and incumbent prime minister Mark Brown won his Takuvaine-Tutakimoa seat and United Party leader Teariki Heather won his Murienua seat, but Democratic Party and opposition leader Tina Browne looked to have lost her Rakahanga seat to Cook Islands Party candidate Levi Hitarahera Teinaki.

With the declaration of the final result on 26 August, Cook Islands Party candidate Tingika Elikana was found to have overcome a narrow deficit shown in the preliminary results to retain his seat, giving his party an outright majority of 13 seats in the parliament. Independent candidates won seven seats, the Cook Islands United Party won four, and the Democratic Party was confirmed to have lost all of its seats.

Party		Votes	%	+/–	Seats	+/–
	Cook Islands Party	4,175	45.32	+1.25	13	+1
	Cook Islands United Party	2,866	31.11	+12.30	4	+1
	Democratic Party	1,116	12.11	–14.82	0	–5
	Progressive Party of the Cook Islands	53	0.58	+0.38	0	0
	Independents	1,003	10.89	+3.58	7	+4
Total		9,213	100.00	–	24	0
Source:

By electorate

Constituency		Candidate	Party		Votes	%
Rarotonga	Akaoa	Robert Stanley Heather†		Cook Islands United	324	82.7
		Teakaau Tex Tangimetua		Cook Islands	68	17.3
	Avatiu–Ruatonga–Palmerston	Albert Nicholas†		Cook Islands	376	62.5
		Teina Rongo		Cook Islands United	226	37.5
	Matavera	Taneao Ngamata		Cook Islands United	240	37.7
		Vaitoti Tupa†		Democratic	231	36.3
		Aneru Andrew Tautu		Cook Islands	166	26.1
	Murienua	Teariki Heather†		Cook Islands United	344	64.9
		Nooroa Baker		Cook Islands	169	31.9
		Samuel Mataroa		Democratic	17	3.2
	Ngatangiia	Tukaka Ama†		Cook Islands	272	45.6
		Mapi Ioteva		Cook Islands United	241	40.4
		Itinga Maoate		Democratic	65	10.9
		Christopher Robert Denny		Progressive	18	3.0
	Nikao–Panama	Vaine Mokoroa†		Cook Islands	497	59.0
		Ngamau Mere Munokoa		Cook Islands United	311	36.9
		Te Tuhi Tauratumaru Kelly		Progressive	35	4.2
	Ruaau	Tim Tunui Varu†		Cook Islands United	370	51.7
		Arama Wichman		Cook Islands	301	42.1
		William (Smiley) Heather		Democratic	44	6.2
	Takuvaine–Tutakimoa	Mark Brown†		Cook Islands	312	60.2
		Davina Hosking-Ashford		Democratic	115	22.2
		Venetia Mere Jacqueline Tuara		Cook Islands United	91	17.6
	Titikaveka	Sonny Williams†		Cook Islands	363	45.9
		Elizabeth Iro		Cook Islands United	238	30.1
		Sholan Ivaiti		Democratic	189	23.9
	Tupapa–Maraerenga	Tamaiti Maru Willie		Cook Islands	617	64.2
		Rota Tama Williams		Cook Islands United	227	23.6
		Edward Victor Drollett		Democratic	117	12.2
Aitutaki	Amuri–Ureia	Toanui Isamaela†		Cook Islands	165	41.9
		Terepai Maoate		Democratic	106	26.9
		Nicholas Royle Henry		Independent	98	24.9
		Tumutoa Teariki Nicholls		Cook Islands United	25	6.3
	Arutanga–Reureu–Nikaupara	Tereapii Maki-Kavana†		Cook Islands	179	46.7
		Maitoe Henry		Cook Islands United	113	29.5
		Tekura Moeroa Bishop		Independent	91	23.8
	Vaipae–Tautu	Teokotai Herman†		Cook Islands	241	52.3
		Teariki Reva George		Democratic	139	30.2
		Teariki Kureta Tangua		Cook Islands United	81	17.6
Mangaia	Ivirua	Agnes Armstrong†		Independent	Uncontested
	Oneroa	Rimmel Poila-Mokoroa		Independent	77	37.2
		Teina Tearii		Cook Islands	66	31.9
		Wesley Kareroa†		Democratic	64	30.9
	Tamarua	Tetangi Matapo†		Independent	34	59.6
		Ngatamaroa Ngatokorua		Cook Islands	23	40.4
Atiu	Teenui–Mapumai	Rose Toki-Brown†		Independent-Enuamanu	81	77.9
		Charles Amaru Koronui		Independent	23	22.1
	Tengatangi–Areora–Ngatiarua	Te-Hani Brown†		Independent-Enuamanu	95	66.9
		Puai Tane Wichman		Independent	47	33.1
Outer Islands	Manihiki	George Maggie Angene†		Independent	56	45.9
		Akaiti Puna†		Cook Islands	51	41.8
		Puapii William		Independent	15	12.3
	Mauke	Stephen Matapo†		Independence Party	175	89.3
		James Vini Beer		Independent	21	10.7
	Mitiaro	Tuakeu Tangatapoto†		Cook Islands	60	61.9
		Makara Murare		Cook Islands United	35	36.1
		Paul Raui Pokoati Allsworth		Democratic	2	2.1
	Penrhyn	Vaine Wichman		Cook Islands	71	58.7
		Sarakura Tapaitau†		Independent	50	41.3
	Pukapuka–Nassau	Tingika Elikana†		Cook Islands	146	51.0
		Kirianu Nio		Independent	140	49.0
	Rakahanga	Levi Hitarahera Teinaki		Cook Islands	32	54.2
		Tina Pupuke-Browne†		Democratic	27	45.8
† – indicates an incumbent candidate

Aftermath

Following these elections, the Cook Islands Party secured an historic fifth consecutive term in government, having won a majority of 13 of the 24 seats in parliament. The party also has existing partnership agreements with the two independent candidates elected for Atiu and the candidate for Mauke. The three independent candidates elected for Mangaia have since agreed to join the Cook Islands Party. This would give the Cook Islands Party-led government caucus a supermajority of 19 seats in parliament. Mark Brown confirmed that he would retain all previous Cabinet ministers that had won their seats in their positions.

Opposition parties the Democratic Party and Cook Islands United Party began talks of a potential merger. Democratic Party leader Tina Pupuke-Browne has pledged a campaign review following the party's poor performance in the election.

The leader of the Cook Islands United Party Teariki Heather has indicated that he will nominate his brother Robert Stanley Heather, the MP for Akaoa, for leader of the Opposition.