By Tupou Vaipulu Jr.
Tonga's new Prime Minister, Hon. Dr ‘Aisake Eke, was officially appointed by HM King Tupou VI today at 9:53am, at the Royal Palace in Nuku’alofa.
Hon. Eke won a secret ballot with 16 votes in the Tonga Legislative Assembly on 24 December 2024, following the resignation of the former Prime Minister Hon Hu’akavameiliku (Siasosi Sovaleni)
The King gifted his pen to the Prime Minister after he signed the appointment papers.
Making a brief comment the King stressed the importance of education in the Kingdom.
Hon. Dr Eke was accompanied by his wife and family during his official appointment.
He was first elected to Parliament on 25 November, 2010, as MP for Tongatapu 5.
He was the Minister for Finance and National Planning from 13 January, 2014 to 6 March, 2017.
Dr 'Aisake Eke is a Senior lecturer and Professor at the University of Christ and Tupou Tertiary Institute.
He earned his Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) from University of South Queensland, Australia (Doctoral Thesis: Quality Service in the Public Sector in Tonga), and is a CPA (Australia Society of Accountants), Australia.
Before pursuing his doctoral degree, he graduated with a BA (Accounting & Economics) from USP, Suva, Fiji, MBA (Master of Business Administration) from Monash University, Melbourne, Australia,
He has 14 years working experience at Tonga's Ministry of Finance, including as Secretary and CEO.
