Tu'ivakano becomes Prime Minister Designate [1]
Saturday, January 21, 2012 - 15:58. Updated on Friday, May 2, 2014 - 16:14.
Lord Tu'ivakano (58) is Tonga's new Prime Minister Designate, after winning over 50% of a secret ballot in a Special Meeting of the Legislature to Elect a Prime Minister this morning.
The name of the new Prime Minister was announced by the Interim Speaker Lord Tupou at noon after he had first delivered the outcome of the ballot to HM King George Tupou.
Lord Tu'ivakano received 14 votes and nominee 'Akilisi Pohiva received 12 votes.
The decision made by the 26 members of Tonga's first democratically elected parliament was received with clapping from a full House, where observers included foreign diplomats, wives of members and other officials and media representatives.
Tongans heard the name of their new Prime Minister announced on a live broadcast on Radio Tonga.
A Tongatapu noble, Lord Tu'ivakano is a former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly (2002-04), and currently the Minister of Training, Education, Youth and Sports in the interim government, a position he has held since 2006. He was Minister of Works in 2005.
Lord Tu'ivakano was appointed to his noble title Tu'ivakano in 1986.
In his early years he attended Tonga High School in Nuku'alofa from 1960-63, before going to New Zealand where he attended Wesley Collge in 1964 and Ardmore Teachers College in 1975.
He returned to Tonga in 1975 to lead the Physical Education Department in the Ministry of Education.
In 1988-91 he attended Flinders University in South Australia where he graduated with a Honours degree in Political Science.
From 1992-96 he became a senior civil servant with the Ministry of Education.
Lord Tu'ivakano entered the Tonga Legislative Assembly in 1996 as a Nobles' Representative for Tongatapu.