28 Sep 2006

Cooks official expect poll outcome to change

1:33 pm on 28 September 2006

The Cook Islands Deputy Chief Electoral Officer, Nooapii Tearea, says there could be some minor changes to yesterday's preliminary election results with about six seats being marginal and 500 special votes yet to be counted.

The Democratic Party currently holds a 14 to10 majority over the Cook Islands Party which lost the seats of their leader and deputy leader, as well as the seat held for 26 years by Sir Geoffrey Henry who retired in July.

Mr Tearea says, however, there are still a few votes to be counted.

"I think in some constituencies there will be some changes, until we have done the final counts then we will know what those results are."

The leader of the Democratic Party Dr Terepaii Maoate won his seat comfortably as did the caretaker Prime Minister Jim Marurai.