Elections in Tonga
Open-knowledge reference entry
In Tonga, elections are held for the national unicameral parliament, the Legislative Assembly, and the local government posts of district and town officers. At the national level, Tongans elect 26 of the up to 30 members of parliament. Voters who are not members of the nobility elect 17 members of the Legislative Assembly, while nobles elect nine representatives. The prime minister may advise the monarch to appoint up to four members to the legislature, who serve as ex officio cabinet ministers. All elected officials are selected in direct elections.
A constitutional monarchy, Tonga has held elections since the 1870s; however, until the democratic reforms in 2010, commoners only elected a minority of representatives. With a majority of members of parliament either voted in by the nobility or appointed by the monarch, elections during this time had little effect on government composition. The first elections after democratisation were dominated by the Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands (PTOA). Following the death of the PTOA leader and prime minister, ʻAkilisi Pōhiva, in 2019, the party fragmented amidst infighting, with independents dominating the makeup of parliament since the 2021 election. Political parties tend to lack clear platforms, with most contestants choosing to campaign on their personal records.
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