Legislative Assembly of Tonga explained

Legislative Assembly of Tonga
Native Name:	Fale Alea ʻo Tonga
Native Name Lang:	to
Coa Pic:	Seal of the Legislative Assembly of Tonga.svg
Foundation:	^[1]
House Type:	Unicameral
Leader1 Type:	Speaker
Election1:	December 2017
Members:	25 members
Structure1:	Tongan Parliament.svg
Structure1 Res:	250px
Structure1 Alt:	Current Structure of the Legislative Assembly of Tonga
Political Groups1:	Government (15) DPFI (3) Independents (8) Nobles' (4) Opposition (10) TPPI (1) Independents (4) Nobles' (5) Vacant (1) Vacant (1)
Next Election1:	On or before November 2025
Session Room:	Parliament Nuku'alofa.jpg
Session Res:	250px

The Legislative Assembly of Tonga (Tonga (Tonga Islands);: '''Fale Alea ʻo Tonga''') is the unicameral legislature of Tonga.

History

A Legislative Assembly providing for representation of nobles and commoners was established in 1862 by King George Tupou I.^[2] This body met every four years and was continued in the 1875 Constitution.

Originally the Legislative Assembly consisted of all holders of noble titles, an equal number of people's representatives, the governors for Ha’apai and Vava’u, and at least four Cabinet Ministers chosen by the monarch.^[3] An increase in the number of nobles from twenty to thirty saw the Assembly grow to 70 members.^[4] Amendments in 1914 saw a reduction in the size of the Assembly and annual sittings. The principle of equal representation of nobles and commoners was retained.^[5]

In April 2010 the Legislative Assembly enacted a package of political reforms, increasing the number of people's representatives from nine to seventeen,^[6] with ten seats for Tongatapu, three for Vava’u, two for Ha’apai and one each for Niuas and 'Eua.^[7]

The 100-year-old Tongan Parliament House was destroyed by Cyclone Gita, a Category 4 tropical cyclone that passed through the nation on 12 and 13 February 2018.^[8] Parliament subsequently moved to the Tongan National Centre complex in Tofoa. In November 2021 the Tongan government announced that a new parliament building would be constructed on Nuku'alofa's waterfront.^[9]

Electoral system

The assembly has 26 members in which 17 members are elected by the people for 5-year term in single-seat constituencies via the single non-transferable vote system. There are 9 members elected by the 33 hereditary nobles of Tonga.

Speaker of the Assembly

The Legislative Assembly is presided over by a Speaker, who is elected by majority of the elected members of Parliament at the first meeting after the general election and constitutionally appointed by the king.^[10] Prior to 2010, the Speaker was appointed by the monarch.^[11]

A complete list of the Speakers is below:^[12]

Name	Took office	Left office	Notes
	1875	1896
	1897	1897
	1897	1912
Hon. Finau 'Ulukalala	1912	1938
	1939	1940	1st term
	1941	1941	1st term
	1942	1944
	1945	1945	2nd term
	1946	1948	2nd term
	1949	1949	3rd term
	1950	1950	3rd term
	1951	1958
	1959	1984
	1985	1986
Hon. Malupo	1987	1989
	1990	1998	^[13]
	April 1999	2001	1st term
	1 July 2002	2004	1st term
	22 March 2005	January 2006	2nd term
	10 February 2006	April 2008	^[14]
	2 May 2008	2010
Lord Tupou (interim)	3 December 2010	21 December 2010	^[15]
	21 December 2010	18 July 2012
	19 July 2012	29 December 2014	1st term
	January 2015	December 2017	2nd term
Lord Fakafanua	December 2017		2nd term^[16]

Terms of the Tongan Legislative Assembly

Until 2010, the government was appointed by the monarch without reference to Parliament, and there were no political parties. The last term under the old system was the 2008 Tongan Legislative Assembly. Political reform in 2010 saw the Prime Minister elected by Parliament from among its members, leading to responsible government.

Term	Elected in	Government
2010 Parliament	align=center	2010 election	align=center	Independent
2014 Parliament	align=center	2014 election	align=center	No overall majority
2017 Parliament	align=center	2017 election	align=center	DPFI
2021 Parliament	align=center	2021 election	align=center	Independent

Officers

Clerk (Kalake Pule Fale Alea 'o Tonga)

• Sione Tekiteki (2011–2012)
• Gloria Pole'o (2012–present)

See also

• Politics of Tonga
• List of legislatures by country

Notes and References

1. Web site: History . Parliament of Tonga . 18 August 2022.
2. Book: Tonga-Samoa Handbook . David Stanley . 1999 . 978-1-56691-174-0 . 198. David Stanley .
3. The Quest for Constitutional Reform in Tonga . Ian Campbell . Journal of Pacific History . 40 . 1 . 91–104 . 2005 . 10.1080/00223340500082400. 22501018 .
4. Campbell (2005), p. 93.
5. Web site: History of our Constitution . https://web.archive.org/web/20100824195249/https://www.pmo.gov.to/ourconstitution/the-contitution/our-constitution-history-english.html . dead . 24 August 2010 . Sione Latukefu . Government of Tonga . 2010-03-02 .
6. Web site: Tonga Parliament enacts political reforms . Radio New Zealand International . 2010-04-15 . 2010-04-21.
7. Web site: Tonga parliament votes on amended boundaries . Radio New Zealand International . 2010-04-20 . 2010-04-21.
8. News: Tonga parliament building flattened by Cyclone Gita . BBC News . 13 February 2018 .
9. Web site: Tonga's new multi-million Parliament Building to be built on seafront . Matangi Tonga . 14 November 2021 . 15 November 2021 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20211114080916/https://matangitonga.to/2021/11/14/tongas-new%20parliament-seafront . 14 November 2021.
10. Web site: FAQs.
11. http://parliament.gov.to/constitution1.htm Constitution of Tonga
12. Web site: List of Speakers of the Tongan Legislative Assembly . https://web.archive.org/web/20200814173209/http://www.mic.gov.to/timeline-box/2458-royal-birthdays . 14 August 2020 . dead.
13. Web site: "Late Lord Fusitu'a achieved four levels of God's goodness" – Dr. Tevita Havea says . www.parliament.gov.to.
14. Web site: Tonga: ELECTIONS IN 2005 . Inter-Parliamentary Union . 18 August 2022.
15. Web site: IPU PARLINE database: TONGA (Fale Alea), ELECTIONS IN 2010.
16. Web site: Tongan Parliament elects Pōhiva as PM for next four years | Asia Pacific Report. 19 December 2017.