KINGDOM OF TONGA

Official name: Pule'anga Fakatu'i 'o Tonga (Kingdom of Tonga)
Location: Pacific Ocean
International organisations: African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, Commonwealth of Nations, Pacific Islands Forum, United Nations
Borders: None
Coastline: Pacific Ocean
Land area: 748 Km2
Population: 100,000
Ethnicity: The Tongans are a Polynesian people. There is a small but prominent Chinese minority.
Language: Tongan is the official language, but English is the language of business and administration.
Religion: Most Tongans are Protestant Christians.
Form of government: Semi-constitutional monarchy.
Capital: Nuku'alofa
Constitution: The Constitution of the Kingdom of Tonga came into effect on 4 November 1875, and was revised on 1 January 1967.
Head of state: King Siaosi Tupou V (known in English as George Tupou V) came to the throne on 11 September 2006.
Head of government: The Prime Minister, appointed by the king and accountable to him.
Legislature: Tonga has a unicameral legislature, the Legislative Assembly (Fale Alea). It has 30 members, of whom 12 are cabinet ministers appointed by the king, nine are representatives of the country's 33 nobles, and nine are elected by the people for three-year terms.
Electoral authority: The Registrar of Electors conducts elections.
Freedom House 2009 rating: Political Rights 5, Civil Liberties 3

Political history

Tonga was ruled by a hierarchy of Polynesian chiefs when it was discovered by the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman in 1643. Under European influence the traditional system was undermined, and civil war broke out, until in 1845 the head of the Tupou clan declared himself king. Under George Tupou I a constitution was proclaimed in 1875, although the kings retained real power and have done so ever since. In 1900 Tonga became a British protectorate, and kings shared power with the British Consul for the next 70 years. The protectorate was ended in June 1970 and Tonga resumed its status as an independent kingdom.

Under King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, who came to the throne in 1965, there was little political reform. The king and nobility continue to rule the country, although there is freedom of political association and a free press. Tupou IV died in September 2006 and was succeeded by his son, George Tupou V, who has faced increasing pressure for reform. When the king rejected a report which recommended a transition to democratic government, riots broke out which destroyed most of central Nuku'alofa. The king declared a state of emergency, but also appointed a Constitution and Electoral Commission to report on constitutional reforms. The king also ceded much of his power to the Prime Minister. The current Prime Minister, Feleti Sevele, in office since March 2006, is the first non-noble to hold the post.

The Human Rights and Democracy Movement, the only political party in Tonga, agitates for the extension of democracy, and at three successive elections has won most of the nine elective seats in the legislature. At the 2008 elections the HRDM won four seats and allied candidates won another two.

Freedom House's 2009 report on Tonga says: "Tonga is not an electoral democracy. Following the 2006 riots, talks between the king and prodemocracy advocates resulted in an agreement, which will be enacted with the [next] parliamentary elections, in which the unicameral Legislative Assembly will consist of 17 popularly elected representatives, 9 nobles elected by their peers, and 2 governors and 2 ministers appointed by the king... Widespread official corruption is a source of public discontent. The royals, the nobles, and their top associates have allegedly used state assets for their personal benefit. The government's practices of not publicly releasing draft budgets and bills and charging a fee to obtain court papers restrict transparency and public involvement in policy decisions. Tonga was ranked 138 out of 180 countries surveyed in Transparency International's 2008 Corruption Perceptions Index... Despite constitutional guarantees of press freedom, the government has a history of suppressing media criticism... Freedoms of assembly and association are upheld for apolitical or uncritical groups, but those engaging in protests and marches have reportedly suffered from government harassment... The judiciary is generally independent and efficient."

Updated March 2010