May be a May by-election [1]
Wednesday, March 23, 2005 - 14:12. Updated on Saturday, May 10, 2014 - 17:44.
A by-election to elect the four new Members of Parliament to replace the four who were appointed as Cabinet Ministers on March 21 may take place as early as May, said the Supervisor of Election Pita Vuki.
A by-election is to be initiated by the Speaker of the House, when he informs the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister in turn approves the request of the Speaker and then the Supervisor of Elections takes over and a by-election date is set for the designated electoral district.
'Ofa Pouono from Crown Law said that under the law, the two circumstances, which would warrant the Speaker calling for by-elections are when an elected Member of Parliament dies or resigns. In this instance, the two Nobles' Representatives, Nuku and Tu...ivakano, and the two People's Representatives, Dr Feleti Sevele and Sione Peauafi Haukinima, must hand over their resignation to the Speaker who would then call for a by-election for one People's Representative for the Niuas and one for Tongatapu. There will also be a by-election for one Nobles' Representative for ...Eua and one for Tongatapu.
The Speaker, Hon. Tu'ivakano, has been appointed as the new Minister of Works and Disaster Relief and will be handing in his resignation as a Nobles' Representative.
It is rumoured that Noble Veikune has been appointed as the new Speaker of the House, and if that is so, a by-election can be expedited once the new Ministers formally present their letters of resignation to the new Speaker of the House.