Dr. Sir Robert Woonton (born 1949) was the prime minister of the Cook Islands from February 11 2002 until December 11 2004, and is a member of the centrist Democratic Alliance Party. A medical doctor by training, he became an MP for the island of Manihiki . He became prime minister when his predecessor, Terepai Maoate , also a member of the DAP, resigned. In September 2004 Woonton and his government held on to power, with the DAP receiving 14 of the 24 seats. Woonton, however, was nearly defeated, and a December 2004 recount that the election for Woonton's seat was a tie, with Woonton and his opponent, Henry Puna, each receiving 134 votes. A byelection will soon be held for that seat. Meanwhile, the government has been dissolved, Woonton has resigned from Parliament, and even if he does return by winning the byelection, he might not become prime minister again because a new one, Jim Marurai has already been elected.