Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown’s securing of another term, despite a dispute with New Zealand over his government’s deals with China, suggests voters are more focused on the cost of living than geopolitical concerns, analysts have said.
Brown’s Cook Islands Party is on track to win a fifth consecutive term in government after securing 18 seats – up from its previous 12 – in last week’s election, according to preliminary results.
That gives the party a three-quarter supermajority in the country’s 24-member parliament, with the support of three independent MPs.
The election result carries weight beyond the self-governing Polynesian nation, whose people hold New Zealand citizenship and whose economy relies heavily on tourism, imported fuel and development funding.
Given New Zealand’s long-standing role in its defence and external affairs, the biggest issues going into the poll were the Cook Islands’ decision to deepen ties with China, as well as questions about whether Brown’s government had done enough to consult Wellington on deals covering infrastructure, tourism and seabed mineral research.
A defence and security declaration signed with New Zealand in April appeared to help ease those concerns, analysts said, allowing Brown to limit the political damage before last Wednesday’s election.