Caretaker government starts after General Election [1]
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 - 22:26. Updated on Sunday, November 30, 2014 - 16:42.
Tonga's current Cabinet Ministers will be in a caretaker Government after this month's General Election on Thursday 27 November.
The Acting Attorney-General and Director of Public Prosecutions ‘Aminiasi Kefu said today there was no certain date on when a new Prime Minister will form his Cabinet.
“It can be in December this year or January next year or whenever he is ready to govern with a Cabinet.”
He said in the meantime, the caretaker government would remain in a caretaker mode until their appointment was revoked or continued by the King, upon advice of the newly appointed Prime Minister.
“Until the new Prime Minister is ready to appoint his Cabinet, he will then advise the King to revoke the caretaker Ministers, and to appoint the new Ministers. If he wants to continue with some of the caretaker Ministers it is up to the new PM, provided he can only appoint up to four non-elected Cabinet ministers, and the number of Cabinet Ministers will not be more than 12.”
He said the timing of the ending of the caretaker Cabinet would therefore depend on political negotiations between the new Prime Minister and the Members of Parliament or others outside of the Legislative Assembly whom the new Prime Minister may want to appoint from outside the elected members.
"The caretaker Government is not allowed to incur any unusual or unnecessary expenditure without the written approval of the caretaker Minister for Finance," he said.