Tonga elects a new prime minister after his predecessor’s sudden resignation Government News

Isaki Falu-Ike, a former finance minister, is set to lead the Pacific nation until elections in November 2025.

Tonga has elected a new leader by secret ballot in parliament, two weeks after its former prime minister was suddenly elected to resignafter a power struggle with the royal family in the Pacific country.

Veteran politician Isaki Falu-Eke received 16 votes compared to eight votes for his rival, Viliami Latu, in Tuesday’s vote.

Falu Eke, who will be formally sworn in as Prime Minister in February, was first elected to Parliament in 2010 and served as Finance Minister between 2014 and 2017.

He will hold office for less than a year before the South Pacific island nation with a population of 105,000 holds its next elections in November 2025.

Tonga’s Parliament consists of 17 legislators elected by the public and nine nobles, elected by a group of hereditary chiefs. Two members of Parliament were unable to vote.

Siosi Sovalini resigned as Prime Minister two weeks ago, after a dispute with Tonga’s influential King Tupou VI, leading to speculation about… Growing division Between the king and his government.

The Oxford-educated Sovalini, who was prime minister from 2021, tendered his resignation just hours before facing a vote of no confidence led by Ike. A statement on the Tongan Parliament’s Facebook page said the prime minister resigned “in the interest of the country and moving Tonga forward.”

Sovalini’s tenure has been marked by periodic tensions between Tonga’s monarchy and elected lawmakers in a young democracy that saw reforms in 2010 that shifted power from the royal family and nobility to ordinary citizens.

Tonga carried out constitutional reforms after pro-democracy protests in 2006 turned into riots, leaving large swathes of the capital, Nuku’alofa, in smoking ruin.

King Tupou VI, head of state of Tonga, retains significant power, including the power to dissolve parliament, appoint judges, and veto legislation.

Tourism-reliant Tonga has struggled to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, growing threats from climate change and the catastrophic volcanic eruption and tsunami of 2022, which struck beachfront resorts, homes and businesses across the country’s 171 islands.

The debt-ridden island kingdom owes the Export Bank of China about $130 million – nearly a third of its gross domestic product – which was lent to help rebuild after the 2006 riots. Repayments on that loan were due to start rising this year.