Next week's Cook Islands elections will be monitored by a team which also oversaw the recent Vanuatu elections and will also observe Palau's presidential election in November.
Chief registrar of electors Terry Hagan says the government has invited a team from the University of the South Pacific's Institute of Advanced Studies in Development and Governance.
Mr Hagan says a team of three, led by Professor Graham Hassall, a Professor of Governance at USP, will arrive in the Cook Islands tomorrow and will monitor the electoral processes through to 8 September.
The team, whose trip is funded by the European Union, will have neutral observer status and will follow international standards of conduct to preserve their independence.
