Cook Islands

Cook Islands is a small island state with a population of approximately 17,000 people. The Cook Islands legislature has 24 members, elected from single-member constituencies through a first-past-the-post voting system. Prior to the last national elections, Cook Islands had one of the largest groups of women in parliament, with three women MPs. However, only one female Member of Parliament was elected in the 2010 elections, and she was the lone female Parliamentarian until she was joined by new Tamarua MP following the January 29, 2012 by-election.