Cook Islanders were urged to stay calm after the small Pacific nation was sent reeling into a political crisis yesterday which had all the appearances of both farce and coup. Prime Minister Jim Marurai was nearly toppled by former Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Henry, but in a piece of gamesmanship, Parliament was suddenly dissolved and an election called.
''I want to assure you that there is no cause for alarm, cool heads will prevail and the country will be governed in an orderly fashion,'' Mr Marurai said in an address to the nation.
The Cooks, which has a population of just 21,000, has long suffered political instability from the days in the 1970s when Prime Minister Albert Henry of the Cook Islands Party (CIP) was tossed out of office and striped of a knighthood for flying in voters from New Zealand.
Loyalties in the 24 seat parliament, in a ramshackled building alongside the runway on Rarotonga, are as fickled as the trade winds in summer and Mr Marurai's hold on office has been tenuous for a couple of weeks.
In the last couple weeks the CIP, which has been in opposition, looked to be building support and rumour had it that when Parliament sat yesterday they were going to put a motion of no-confidence and would have 13 votes. Making it potentially more intriguing was that under the rules of the house the motion needed only be passed by a majority of those present.
Sir Geoffrey was among 10 people, plus the Speaker Norman George who was allied to him, who showed up to attend parliament. But Mr Marurui and the government side were no where to be seen.
Earlier in the morning Mr Marurai was around the other side of the island where he persuaded Queen's Representative Fred Goodwin to dissolve Parliament and call a snap election.

Mr Goodwin broadcast the dissolution to the nation on radio, but Sir Geoffrey and his band did not hear it and continued with a parliamentary session. When Police Commissioner Pira Wichman wandered along to see what was going on, rumour spread of trouble.
Mr Marurai went on air, saying the opposition had gathered at parliament conducting a meeting ''that had all the appearances of a session of Parliament.
''Let me tell you, people of the Cook Islands , that that gathering could not be a session of parliament.
'Its proceedings are meaningless and of null effect. The act of dissolution terminates the position of speaker.'
Mr George told the illicit gathering that the events of the day were '' probably the most momentous and shocking examples of an office holder interfering with the process of parliament.
''What happened today is an intervention by the Queen's Representative office into the process of the people's representative .. by stopping a sitting of parliament. This is unheard of in this country.''
Mr George said they would go to the High Court in a bid to overturn the dissolution.
No date has been set for an election yet.
The Cooks is self-governing in free association with New Zealand . Around 53,000 Cook Islanders live in New Zealand and annually New Zealand gives the country $6.2 million in aid.