General elections were held 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...

 on 16 June 1999 to elect 25 MPs to the Parliament

Parliament of the Cook Islands

The Parliament of the Cook Islands is the legislature of the Cook Islands. Originally established under New Zealand colonial rule, it became the national legislature on independence in 1965....

. The 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....

 won 11 seats, the Democratic Alliance 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:...

 10 seats, and the New Alliance Party

New Alliance Party (Cook Islands)

The New Alliance Party was a political party in the Cook Islands. The party was led by Norman George, and was a continuation of his Alliance Party....

 4 seats.

Following the elections, the CIP formed a coalition with the NAP, with 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:...

 as 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...

 and NAP leader Norman George

Norman George

Norman George is a Cook Islands politician and former Speaker of the Cook Islands Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister, and Cabinet Minister....

 as his deputy. However, three members of the CIP subsequently quit the party and joined the Democrats, forcing Henry's resignation. Joe Williams

Joe Williams (Cook Islands)

Joe Williams, QSO, is a Cook Islands politician who served briefly as Prime Minister of the Cook Islands in 1999. Williams trained as a doctor, and has principally resided in Auckland, New Zealand....

 subsequently became Prime Minister, but was forced to resign in November following a by-election and further coalition realignment. Finally, the Democratic party's 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...

became Prime Minister, with George as his deputy.