Results for Parliament

After a late start, Parliament closed early yesterday, Monday March 18, while the House was in a deadlock over a demand by the Acting Speaker Lord Tu‘ilakepa for the Prime Minister to explain why the six Bills he had tabled into parliament were urgent.

When parliament opened today, Wednesday March 13, noticeably missing were the seven Nobles’ Representatives: Lord Tu'ivakano, Lord Vaha'i, Lord Tu'ilakepa, Lord Tu'iha'angana, Lord Tu'i'afitu, Lord Nuku and Lord Fusitu'a. From the House by Pesi Fonua.

The Tongan Parliament closed early on Monday March 11, amid requests for parliament to extend its proceedings for seven or eight days. From the House by Pesi Fonua

The Tongan Parliament has been juggling with its working agenda since yesterday, Monday 4 March, going from one thing to another and back again. The House is trying to deal with a Petition tabled into Parliament as well as the Prime Minister's corrections to a letter informing the House that six Bills tabled into Parliament were urgent and that the House has to pass them before it continues with its proceedings. From the House by Pesi Fonua.

Tonga’s Parliament passed the Foreign Investment Bill 2019 yesterday, 26 February with votes of 15-3, after a hot debate on whether or not to take into account the concerns of the Tonga Chamber of Commerce and the business community. From the House, by Pesi Fonua.

Tonga’s tense and conflicting politics were exposed when three petitions were presented to the HM King Tupou VI on 18 February, with a call to not only dissolve parliament, but also to establish a Royal Commission to investigate alleged wrong doings by government; and to appoint a caretaker government. Last week the Prime Minister, Hon. ‘Akilisi Pohiva, responded by calling the petitions “trouble making”.

If Parliament’s most urgent task at the close of its first day, Monday, was the passing of a new Foreign Investment Bill 2019 in order to release $35 million in current Budget Support from donors, then other matters on the work agenda might have been expected to be put aside when the House reconvened. However, on Tuesday morning the issue of the Tonga cable black-out at the end of January occupied the attention of the House. From the House, by Pesi Fonua.

Three Petitions with over 10,000 signatures calling for King Tupou VI to dissolve the Tongan Parliament and establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate the Pohiva government, were presented to the Palace Office in Nuku'alofa this afternoon, 18 February. By Pesi Fonua

A vote by Tonga’s Members of Parliament on Thursday 8 November, agreed (16 - 4) to recognize that Prime Minister 'Akilisi Pohiva and six cabinet ministers had inappropriately spent their budget allocations for the 2015-16, 2016-17, and 2017-18 Financial Years.