Jim Marurai - Prime Minister

Prime Minister

Marurai was elected Prime Minister in December 2004 after Woonton resigned in the wake of the 2004 election. Due to internal disputes, he left the Democrats in 2005 to form the Cook Islands First Party, governing in coalition with the Cook Islands Party. This agreement later broke down, and he formed a new coalition with the Democrats. He returned to the Democrats before the 2006 elections, remaining Prime Minister but not becoming party leader.

In May 2006, Marurai had a private audience and courtesy call with Emperor Akihito of Japan at the Tokyo Imperial Palace. Marurai visit was part of the Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM 2006), which was held in Okinawa on 26–27 May 2006.

On 23 December 2009, Marurai sacked his Deputy Prime Minister, Terepai Maoate, sparking a mass-resignation of Democratic Party cabinet members He was subsequently expelled from the Democratic Party.

In January 2010, facing the prospect of a vote of no confidence supported by a majority of Members of Parliament, Marurai announced that he would not be "calling parliament for at least several months". He said that no parliamentary sitting was needed until it became necessary to vote the budget, the deadline for which was 1 July. Both major political parties – the Democratic Party and the Cook Islands Party - jointly asked the Queen's Representative to recall Parliament, but the latter is constitutionally prevented from acting except on the advice of the Prime Minister.

Marurai was readmitted to the Democratic party at a party conference in June 2010. He subsequently announced that he would not continue as Prime Minister if the Democratic Party won the 2010 election. Marurai was re-elected to his Ivirua seat in the 2010 elections, but his party was ousted. He resigned as Prime Minister on 29 November 2010, and continues to serve as a backbench MP.