By Katalina Siasau
Lord Fakafanua (40), who entered parliament in 2009 as a Noble’s Representative, has served as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Tonga since 2017.
He was declared as Prime MInister Designate today, after winning 16 votes from the 26 elected members, made up of nine Noble's Representatives and 17 People's Representatives.
The ballot in the House is secret, but the numbers suggest that the Noble PM Designate attracted the support of at least seven of the People's Representatives.
Tonga held its General Election on 20 November, when the People's Representatives are elected by their constituencies. In a separate election, Nobles enter Parliament by voting among themselves.
During the 2008 by-election Lord Fakafanua was first elected as a Noble's Representative for Haʻapai, the youngest member ever of the Tongan Parliament.
In 2012 he assumed the role of Speaker of Parliament, again as the youngest person elected to that office in Tonga.
He left Parliament in 2014 to pursue further studies, and completed a Master of Arts in diplomacy, law, and business at O. P. Jindal Global University in India.
He returned to politics in the 2017 general elections, in which he was again elected Speaker; he was re-elected in the 2021 general elections as the incumbent Speaker of Parliament.
During his term as Speaker of Parliament, Fakafanua sat on international fora such as the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Executive (CPA–EXCO) as a representative of Australasia. He also entered the Tongan Parliament into the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) as the 164th member.
Through his mother, he is a member of the Tongan royal family.
He is the son of late Kinikinilau Tūtoatasi, 7th Lord Fakafānua and estate holder of Maʻufanga, and Princess Sinaitakala 'Ofeina-'e-he-Langi Fakafānua (a grand-daughter of Queen Salote Tupou III)
He was bestowed with the title Fakafānua, one of the 33 hereditary titles of the Tongan nobility, in April 2006. The title is attached to the estates of Maʻufanga (on Tongatapu), Ngaʻakau (on Vavaʻu) and Faleloa (on Haʻapai), and enables its holder to be elected to the Legislative Assembly as a Representative of the Nobility.
On 1 August 2008, King George Tupou V appointed Fakafānua Commander of the Order of Queen Sālote Tupou III.
He is married to Krystal Fane Kite.
