The caretaker Premier of Niue, Young Vivian, says the country needs to reconsider the version of democracy imposed on it by New Zealand.
He was responding to criticism from fellow MP, O'Love Jacobsen, over nine of the 20 candidates for next week's election being returned unopposed.
She says if the principles of democracy are to be upheld, then it is very important that candidates are challenged so the winner can claim a mandate.
But Young Vivian says the unopposed candidates were chosen in traditional ways in the villages and this avoids conflict.
He says this is better than the imported democracy.
"The way we are doing it now is right. I think possibly there could be more unopposed - more people in those houses going to go in. And there wouldn't be in those nine villages...... there is no conflict, there's peace and togetherness."
