A new government in the Cook Islands?

The Cook Islands went to the polls yesterday for Parliamentary elections. The result is interesting: from the preliminary tallies, Prime Minister Henry Puna has lost his seat, as has political dinosaur (and the Winston Peters of Cook Island politics) Norman George. Meanwhile, the new One Cook Islands Party - consisting of a former Minister currently under investigation for bribery and corruption, and a convicted arsonist - holds the balance of power.

There are still several results close enough to be affected by special votes, including one outright tie, but there is likely to be a Prime Minister, there may be a new government, and it may be founded implicitly on a promise to keep a politician out of prison.