Tonga’s Speaker confirms new PM to be chosen on Christmas Eve

RNZ Pacific

Parliamentarians in Tonga will meet on Christmas Eve to select the kingdom’s new prime minister, Speaker of the House Lord Fakafanua has confirmed.

He told RNZ Pacific that Hu’akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni’s resignation on Monday ahead of a second motion of no confidence was unprecedented.

However, he said the Tongan constitution was clear on what happens next.

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• Other Tongan prime ministership reports

Parliament will issue letters to its 26 MPs on Tuesday calling for their nominations for leader.

These must be submitted by December 23 and the election of the prime minister will be conducted by secret ballot on Christmas Eve.

To win, candidates will need to secure a simple majority of the total number of MPs eligible to vote.

This number is 13 if it is determined the Speaker has the casting vote. But 14 if it is decided he will vote as an ordinary MP.

Post-election scenarios
The constitution is unclear on this point as the rules for election of prime minister are based on a post-election scenario, where the King appoints an interim Speaker to oversee the election who is not an elected MP.

The current Speaker Lord Fakafanua is an MP. They have yet to make a decision on this point.

Hu’akavameiliku quit on Monday after delivering a teary-eyed statement in Parliament.

He told RNZ Pacific it was “better to leave”.

“Whoever the new prime minister is going to be will do a great job given that we only have another 10 months before the [next] elections,” he said.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.