Vivian

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Niue

returned

The Premier of Niue, Young Vivian, has been returned to the Legislative Assembly in a general election.

Vivian and his chief opponent for the premiership, former Cabinet minister Frank Lui, both won their village constitu ency seats with comfortable majorities.

Reports from Niue say Vivian is tipped to continue as leader of the country.

In other results, Lady Patricia Rex, the wife of the late Premier. Sir Robert Rex, failed to win another term in office.

But Lady Rex’s son, Robert Rex junior, won a seat on the common roll.

The Niue constitution provides for an assembly consisting of 20 members 14 elected from village constituencies and six from a common roll.

An ex-public servant made redundant last year, Michael Jackson, topped the poll for the common roll with 543 votes.

A major loser was Terry Chapman, the secretary to the government since self-government in 1974 who resigned to contest the election. Chapman was ranked eighth out of the 24 candidates who were contesting the six common roll seats.

And, for the first time in Niue’s history, a palagi (European) was elected to the assembly. Terry Coe, former principal of the Niue High School, was ranked third in the common roll.

One village constituency remains undecided with the two highest scoring candidates polling an equal number of votes