The Cook Islands First Party (originally known as the Demo Tumu Party, translatable as "Original/True Democratic Party") was a political party

Political party

A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...

 in the Cook Islands

Cook Islands

The Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...

. The party was originally a faction within the Cook Islands Democratic Party

Democratic Party (Cook Islands)

The Democratic Party is a liberal political party in the Cook Islands. It is currently the Opposition party in the Cook Islands Parliament.-Early years:...

 which supported Prime Minister

Prime Minister of the Cook Islands

The Prime Minister of the Cook Islands is the official rsponsible for heading Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's government in the Cook Islands, a self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand. The office was established in 1965, when self-government was first granted to the islands...

 Robert Woonton

Robert Woonton

Dr Robert Woonton was the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands from 11 February 2002 until 11 December 2004, and is a member of the centrist Democratic Party. A medical doctor by training, he became a Member of Parliament for the island of Manihiki...

 over Terepai Maoate

Terepai Maoate

Sir Terepai Tuamure Maoate, KBE was Prime Minister of the Cook Islands from 18 November 1999 to 11 February 2002. He is a member of the Cook Islands Democratic Party...

. The 2004 elections

Cook Islands general election, 2004

General elections were held in the Cook Islands on 7 September 2004. Initial results showed the Democratic Party winning by a wide margin, but close results led to 11 electoral petitions being filed, delaying the date Parliament could sit until mid-December...

 saw the Democrats win a clear majority, but it was not clear whether Woonton would have the numbers within the party to remain Prime Minister. Woonton's announcement on 15 November 2004 that he was forming a coalition with the rival Cook Islands Party

Cook Islands Party

The Cook Islands Party is a nationalist political party in the Cook Islands. It was the first political party founded in the Cook Islands, and one of the two major parties of the Islands' politics since 1965....

 with himself as Prime Minister touched off a bitter struggle within the Democrats, which ultimately saw Woonton and his Health Minister Peri Vaevae Pare expelled from the party. Woonton responded by launching his own party, the Demo Tumu Party, on 1 December 2004.

Initially the party consisted of 4 MPs: Woonton, Pare, then-education minister Jim Marurai

Jim Marurai

Jim Marurai is a Cook Islands politician and former Prime Minister of the Cook Islands. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Personal life:...

 and Democratic backbenchers Teenui Mapumai and Poko Simpson. The party maintained its coalition agreement with the Cook Islands Party and the support of independent MP Piho Rua

Piho Rua

Piho Rua is a Cook Islands politician and member of the Cook Islands Parliament.Rua was born on Rakahanga and educated at Aitutaki Junior High School and Tereora College. He had a twenty year career as a police officer before becoming a public servant and serving as Chief Executive of the Prime...

, and Woonton remained Prime Minister. Woonton subsequently resigned his seat in order to fight a by-election

Manihiki by-election 2005

The 2005 Manihiki by-election was a by-election in the Cook Islands electorate of Manihiki. It was held on 8 February 2005, shortly after the 2004 general election, and was precipitated by an electoral petition finding the result in the seat to be a dead tie...

, causing his government to be dissolved. The coalition held, with Woonton's deputy Jim Marurai

Jim Marurai

Jim Marurai is a Cook Islands politician and former Prime Minister of the Cook Islands. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Personal life:...

 replacing him as Prime Minister as part of a deal which would see CIP leader Geoffrey Henry

Geoffrey Henry

Sir Geoffrey Arama Henry KBE is a Cook Island politician who was twice the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands. He was leader of the Cook Islands Party from 1979 to 2006.-Early life:...

 replace him after two years.

The coalition deal was dissolved in September 2005, and the party, now calling itself "Cook Islands First", formed a new coalition with the Democrats. The parties re-united shortly before the 2006 election

Cook Islands general election, 2006

General elections were held in the Cook Islands on September 27, 2006 in order to elect 24 MPs to the Cook Islands Parliament. The Democratic Party remained in power, winning 15 of 24 seats. A total of 8,497 voters turned out to vote....

, and the party is now defunct.