Results for Politics

Tonga’s Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva raised laughter at an Australian function last night before proposing a toast to HM Queen Elizabeth II, when he said that he may need god's smile as another petition was being filed to the King to dissolve parliament.

Tongan Prime Minister Hon. ‘Akilisi Pohiva released an official statement on 20 August, retracting comments he made two weeks ago in an interview with the Samoan Observer, where he suggested that Pacific Island nations should collectively ask China to write-off its debts.

A new political party in Tonga, the People’s National Party – Paati Tufunga Fonua ‘a e Kakai was launched at the Tanoa Hotel, Nuku’alofa on Saturday, 9 June 2018.

Prime Minister Hon ‘Akilisi Pohiva yesterday announced that a recent ban that restricts Government school girls from playing rugby is “not Government policy”. However, the Prime Minister did not state if he had uplifted the ban nor explain why he had allowed the ban to be imposed in the first place.

The Tonga Government today extended the current national State of Emergency to finish on 9 April. Tonga’s State of Emergency was first declared on 12 February – the day Cyclone Gita struck Tongatapu and ‘Eua.

The results of Tonga’s November 16 General Election “reflected the wishes of the people” the Chair of the Commonwealth Observer Group, Hon. Margaret Wilson DNZM said at the Tanoa Hotel on 18 November. Speaking to the press at the end of their observer mission, she congratulated the Kingdom of Tonga for turning out in numbers to exercise their democratic right.

Langafonua ‘a e Masiva Party was launched on Friday, September 29 with six candidates, who are running for the November 16 General Election.

Manitasi Leger says he was the first Tongan representative to attend the Commonwealth Youth Parliament when it was held in Brisbane, Australia in 2005, and Tonga had another representative, Kerry Lepa, attend in 2012, before Elizabeth Kite was nominated in 2016.

The actual number of Tongan Diplomatic Passports in circulation is unknown, the Prime Minister, Hon. ‘Akilisi Pohiva, told a Press Conference on Friday 11 November. The PM who is responsible for the issue of diplomatic passports has expressed his concern over the illegal selling of Tongan Diplomatic, and Ordinary passports to criminals who were using them to transfer illegal drugs to New Zealand and Australia.