Mark Brown is expected to secure a second term as Prime Minister of the Cook Islands following electoral results that gave his nationalist party, the Cook Islands Party, 12 of 24 parliamentary seats. Voting for one remaining seat was ongoing, with results expected late in the week due to bad weather preventing electoral officers from reaching Nassau island. While 13 seats are required for a parliamentary majority, Brown’s party has previously formed governments by working with independent lawmakers.
Inflation and the cost of living dominated voter concerns heading into Wednesday’s election, with economic anxiety stemming partly from global instability affecting the South Pacific’s heavily import-dependent economies. Brown’s opposition hoped these pressures would tighten the race, but the Cook Islands United Party managed only four seats, up from three in the previous election. The Democratic Party, which had held five seats and led the opposition, failed to secure representation in Parliament, with party leader Tina Pupuke-Browne losing her seat by three votes after eight years in office.
Brown’s victory comes after significant diplomatic tensions between Cook Islands and New Zealand. In 2025, Brown signed cooperation agreements with Beijing without consulting New Zealand, Cook Islands’ largest financial supporter and defense partner. The resulting standoff led New Zealand to freeze millions in funding on security grounds. Relations improved after the countries signed a defense pact in April, and the resumption of aid appeared to ease public concerns about the dispute.
Brown, 63, has been a parliamentarian since 2010 and previously worked as a public servant and property developer. He won his constituency seat by a large majority in this week’s voting. He has also advocated for developing a deep sea mining industry in Cook Islands’ exclusive economic zone, an initiative that has generated debate among Pacific leaders over environmental concerns.
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