By Linny Folau and Eleanor Gee

Siaosi Vailahi Pohiva won the Tongatapu 1 By-election for a seat in the Tonga Legislative Assembly, only 16 votes ahead of Dr Netatua Pelesikoti Taufatofua in a tight race, after the result was announced in Nuku'alofa this evening.

He will take the seat that was vacated by his father, the late Hon. ‘Akilisi Pohiva (the former Prime Minister), who died in September.

It was an extremely close contest as Siaosi led with 1160 votes, while the one other candidate Dr Netatua Pelesikoti Taufatofua, had a total of 1144 votes.

After the first results came in from the five polling stations in Tongatapu, the two candidates had only six votes difference, with Siaosi leading with 1128 and Dr Netatua 1122.

The small number of votes from the outer islands polling stations, secured the win for Siaosi.

Voting started at 9am and closed at 4pm. Of the 4382 eligible voters who registered, only 2305 (53%) turned out at the five main polling stations in Tongatapu 1, with a few votes cast in the outer islands of Vava'u, Ha'apai, 'Eua and the two Niuas.

The turnout was less than the 2017 General Election, when out of the 4,256 registered voters in Tongatapu 1, only 2,731 (64.17%) of voters turned out and voted. ('Akilisi Pohiva won 1376 votes in 2017 for Tongatapu 1).

Siaosi is an educational assessment specialist who has worked for the Secretariat of the Pacific Community’s Assessment Unit of the Education Quality and Assessment Programme.

By-election results:

Tongatapu 1

Outer Islands