The Cook Island Democratic Party has chosen the wife of the recently deceased candidate to stand in the rescheduled by-election at the end of March.
Cook Islands Democratic Party Logo Photo: Cook Islands Democratic Party
The Party's Constituency Committee is backing Teina Kore Ioane with her nomination as the Democratic candidate in the country's by-election decider expected to be confirmed this weekend.
Mrs Ioane will stand against her late husband's original opponent, the Cook Island Party's Mona Ioane, who is a former Cabinet Minister.
The third contender is also a woman, Amiria Davey, representing the One Cook Islands Party.
There are 427 voters in Aitutaki's Vaipau Tautu electorate for the by-election on March the 31st.
In the 24-seat parliament the ruling Cook Island Party currently has 11 seats, the Democrats have 10 and the One Cook Islands Movement holds two.
The by-election could result in a hung parliament.
