Results for Tonga Parliament

Tonga'sParliament will remain closed until August 3, the House decided, voting unanimously 21-0 to extend parliament's closure for another two weeks from July 13. From the House by Pesi Fonua.

The Tongan Parliament yesterday 18 June, passed its $589.6 Million pa’anga national Budget for 2020-2021 with votes of 21-0. With Tonga’s biggest-ever deficit of $60 million, debate has been tense at times over the last two weeks. A 20 per cent salary cut for MPs, proposed by the PM, did not happen. From the House by Pesi Fonua

Tonga's Justice Minister called “What shall we do? War?” during a heated confrontation between government and the Nobles Representatives over proposed distribution of more than $4 million in constituency funds to be allocated for MPs to spend, in the Tongan Parliament yesterday, 26 June.

Twenty-six young women had the opportunity to conduct a mock parliament session as part of Girls Takeover Parliament Day in Tonga today, 2 November, at the Tonga Parliament in Tofoa.

A donation of computer equipment including laptops to the Tonga Parliament was announced by the Parliament of the State of Victoria in Australia, today as part of a coordinated effort with the United Nations Development Programme to assist Tonga in the wake of Cyclone Gita.

Tonga's former Deputy Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni emotionally bowed out yesterday, saying; “On no occasion did I try to undermine the support and cohesion within Cabinet.”

Please Prime Minister Pohiva, think again and do not harden your heart, because you are making a mockery of our Parliamentary system...you have Tongans and friends of Tonga with the archeological, cultural, environmental and engineering expertise and the hearts and minds to build our nation, please Prime Minister use them. You are destroying our environment and in the process destroying our very fragile “democracy” and our trust in you and this Government. -‘Ana Hau‘alofa‘ia Koloto

Tonga's Parliament struggled to make decisions on two important issues before its 2016 session closed on Thursday, 27 October. The House was trying to establish new procedures for a parliamentary Vote of No Confidence in the Prime Minister and his Cabinet. The other difficult issue was who will hold the ultimate power to appoint an Anti-corruption Commissioner for Tonga. From the House, by Pesi Fonua.

A ban on selling bread on Sundays will be enforced tomorrow, July 3. The ban, which was pushed for by church leaders and supported by members of parliament, re-enforces one of Tonga’s oldest laws, which forbids commercial undertakings on the Sabbath. However, owners of Tonga’s two biggest bakeries told Matangi Tonga Online that the ban would likely result in job losses because bakeries have been trading on Sunday for over 30 years.