Lord Fakafanua after the nobles' results announcement in Nuku'alofa on Thursday. Photo / RNZ Pacific, Teuila Fuatai
By Teuila Fuatai of RNZ
Lord Fakafanua has been elected Tonga’s next Prime Minister by his fellow MPs, ousting incumbent Prime Minister Dr ‘Aisake Eke.
The pair faced off against each other in today’s vote at Parliament, which comes three weeks after Tonga went to the polls on November 20.
Fakafanua, 40, won the secret ballot by 16 votes to 10.
Fakafanua is only the second noble to hold the role of Prime Minister since the country’s 2010 constitutional reforms, which saw the balance of power in the Legislative Assembly shift to the cohort of 17 MPs elected by the general public.
Before that, the balance of power in Tonga’s Parliament sat with the nobles and the monarchy.
Before voting was underway, Fakafanua told his fellow representatives he wanted to be Prime Minister so he could unite the country’s Parliament. Both groups of representatives, regardless of if they are nobles or peoples’ representatives, answer to the people they serve, he said.
Despite that, only the 17 peoples’ representatives are voted for by the general public. The nine nobles’ representatives are elected in a separate voting process by the nobles.
In his acceptance speech, Fakafanua said he was honoured to receive the support of fellow MPs. He also called for unity, and urged the 17 people’s representatives and nine nobles’ representatives that make up Tonga’s legislative assembly to work together for the good of the country.
Eke made similar remarks, thanking his supporters. He also wished Fakafanua all the best and pledged his support as they work to build Tonga.
Fakafanua is one of two nobles’ representatives for Ha’apai. At just 40 years of age, he is among Tonga’s younger parliamentarians. He entered Parliament at age 24, and at 27 was elected Speaker – the youngest ever to hold the position.
Fakafanua is a member of Tonga’s royal family through his mother – who was a granddaughter of the beloved Queen Salote III – and has noble lineage through his father. His sister is also married to the Crown Prince. He is also the president of Tonga Rugby League.
In keeping with Tonga’s election rules, Fakafanua and Eke were only revealed as candidates for Prime Minister by interim Speaker Lord Tangi ‘o Vaonukonuka this morning after he convened the meeting of representatives.
Eke will now stay on as caretaker Prime Minister until King Tupou VI formally appoints his replacement. Fakafanua must also select a Cabinet for approval and appointment by the King.
Lord Vaea, Queen Nanasipau’u Tuku’aho’s brother, is the new Speaker of Parliament, while Lord Tu’ihagaana is the Deputy Speaker.
Only nobles are elected for the roles of Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
The Tongatapu 5 representative leaves the office of Prime Minister after less than a year. He took over from his predecessor Hu’akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni last December after Hu’akavameiliku resigned in the face of a vote of no confidence.
In today’s vote, Eke lost the support of several key members of his Cabinet, including his Deputy Prime Minister Taniela Fusimalohi and Paula Piukala. Piukala, who held several ministerial portfolios in Eke’s government including police and public enterprises, was suspended from his ministerial duties last week while the country’s anti-corruption agency investigated allegations against him. Both he and Fusimalohi threw their weight behind Fakafanua at the vote.
Meanwhile, when the new Parliament officially meets to begin business, addressing Tonga’s declining voter turnout will undoubtedly be high on the priority list. Voter turnout at the November election was 49.4% – meaning one in two eligible voters failed to cast a ballot.
Pita Vuki, the country’s Supervisor of Elections, has previously said the accuracy of the roll needed to be addressed. He is also open to enabling overseas voting. Currently, only those in Tonga on polling date can participate in the election, which means large groups of eligible workers, like seasonal workers or students overseas miss out.