2010 Cook Islands Member of Parliament reduction referendum

2010 Cook Islands Member of Parliament reduction referendum

17 November 2010
Should there be a reduction in the number of Members of Parliament?
Outcome	Proposal failed as two-thirds quorum not reached
Results
Choice Votes % Yes 4,983 63.84% No 2,822 36.16% Valid votes 7,805 92.61% Invalid or blank votes 623 7.39% Total votes 8,428 100.00% Registered voters/turnout 10,500 80.27%

A referendum on reducing the number of MPs was held in the Cook Islands on 17 November 2010, alongside the general elections.^[1] Although 64% of voters voted in favour,^[2] the proposal failed as it required two-third of voters to vote in favour.^[3]

Opinion polls

According to a poll published by the Cook Islands News on 11 September 2010, 76% of respondents supported the referendum proposal.^[4] A number of politicians publicly stated their support for the referendum proposal, including Democratic Party Leader Robert Wigmore and Cook Islands Party deputy leader Teina Bishop.^[5]

Results

Choice		Votes	%
For		4,983	63.84
Against		2,822	36.16
Total		7,805	100.00
Valid votes		7,805	92.61
Invalid/blank votes		623	7.39
Total votes		8,428	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		10,500	80.27
Source: PINA[6]

References

1. "Cooks referendum during November election". Radio New Zealand International. 2010-09-10. Retrieved 2010-09-10.
2. "Final results give Cook Islands Party two-thirds majority". Radio New Zealand International. 2010-11-29. Retrieved 2010-11-30.
3. "Referendum is on!". Cook Islands News. 2010-09-10. Archived from the original on 2012-06-05. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
4. "76% want seats cut". Cook Islands News. 2010-09-11. Archived from the original on 2012-06-05. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
5. "MPs, hopefuls support reform". Cook Islands News. 2010-09-10. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
6. Pacific Islands News Association. "PACNEWS - News reader". Pina.com.fj. Retrieved 2016-12-28.