“I was surprised that nobody decided to oppose me,” said the former Prime Minister from his home yesterday.
Marurai – who announced in 2010 that he would be stepping down after his term in office - said he would have moved aside this time around if someone fronted up for the Demo nomination.
“I did tell my constituency the day after I was elected it was going to be my last term, but I put my name in and nobody challenged,” he said.
Marurai described the constituency of Ivirua as a Demo stronghold, and predicted the party would maintain its domination of the island.
In the 2010 vote, the political veteran won by a vote count of 60-5 over the Cook Islands Party’s Moe Lucre.
At the time, observers were expecting Marurai to run uncontested; however, Lucre’s last minute nomination thwarted those plans, sending Ivirua’s voters to the polling booth.
For his upcoming term, Marurai said his priorities will depend on the political party that is able to form the next government.
And this will “definitely” be his last term, he insists.
“I won’t be persuaded to do this again,” he said.