Aug 26 (Reuters) – The Cook Islands’ Mark Brown looks set to stay as prime minister of the island nation after official election results on Wednesday showed his Cook Island Party won 13 of parliament’s 24 seats to clinch a fifth term.
• The results showed four seats won by the Cook Islands United Party, with the remaining seven going to a mix of independents and minor groupings. The main opposition in the last parliament, the Democratic Party, failed to win a seat.
• The vote comes at a sensitive time for the Cook Islands’ ties with New Zealand, with which it is in free association.
• Cook Islanders are New Zealand citizens. While Wellington has historically played a role in defence and foreign affairs, the self-governing territory shapes its own domestic policy and expanded international engagement.
(Reporting by Lucy Craymer; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
