2010 Tongan general election

With the introduction of democratic reforms, the 17 people's seats were elected from single-member constituencies,^[11] replacing the multi-member districts.^[1] Ten constituencies were allocated to Tongatapu, three for Vava‘u, Ha‘apai, while ʻEua and the Niuas each had one.^[11] Voting for the nobles' seats remained unchanged, with the 33 heads of the noble families electing representatives from multi-member constituencies.^[17] The nobles vote in the constituency to which their title is attached, thus individuals with multiple titles may exercise plural votes.^[1] Voting was held using the first-past-the-post-voting system.^[18] The reforms also allowed the prime minister to advise the monarch to appoint up to four individuals to cabinet who were not elected to parliament. These ministers would then become ex officio members of the Legislative Assembly.^[11] The parliamentary term was extended from three to four years,^[19] with the monarch still having the power to call a snap election.^[11]

Candidates and voters were required to be at least 21 years old and hold Tongan citizenship.^[20] Ineligible voters included those who had served a prison sentence of at least two years and individuals convicted of a criminal offence.^[18] To qualify, candidates were required to be eligible voters and present in Tonga for at least a three-month period within six months before an election.^[21] Candidates running for a people's seat also required the signatures of at least 50 qualified electors from the constituency they contest and a deposit to be paid.^[18] Individuals subject to legal action for outstanding debt were ineligible to be contestants. Candidates for the people's seats were also required to undergo a legal clearance to qualify. The nobles, however, were exempt from this procedure.^[22] A total of 42,395 individuals were registered to vote in this election.^[23]

A total of 144 individuals contested the election, including 11 women.^[24] The PTOA party, which was formed before the election and led by veteran MP ‘Akilisi Pōhiva, fielded a candidate in all of the people's constituencies and emerged as the major party.^[25] The Sustainable Nation-Building Party, the People's Democratic Party and the Tongan Democratic Labor Party also contested the election.^[23] All nine incumbent people's representatives stood for re-election, including five cabinet ministers; however, only three did so as PTOA candidates.^[25] Most candidates ran as independents.^[26]

Despite the presence of political parties, most candidates campaigned as individuals, primarily relying on their personal records and local networks. The Tonga Media Council hosted weekly evening forums for two months before the election to encourage candidates to focus on election issues. Each week, the forum invited different panels of contestants to participate, with the issue theme changing every week. The forums were broadcast, with candidate panels answering queries from the public and a media panel.^[27] None of the contesting parties published a clear manifesto or had any decisive policies. PTOA Leader Pōhiva, relying on his tactics used in previous elections, campaigned on the themes of economic development and political reform. The electoral appeal of most PTOA candidates rested on their association with Pōhiva. The other three contesting parties were mostly invisible during the campaign, while the PTOA was the only one established with the objective of forming a government.^[25] Deputy Leader Sitiveni Halapua was widely considered to be the party's presumptive nominee for prime minister.^[28]

The Tonga Electoral Commission (TEC) was established after the reforms were passed, assuming the role of elections authority previously held by the prime minister's department. The TEC conducted a voter registration drive that required all electors to re-enrol. Unlike in previous elections, all voters were provided an electronic identity card to minimise confusion over enrollments, as had been the case in past years.^[27] King Tupou V dissolved the Legislative Assembly and called a snap election on 30 September, bringing forward the polls that were originally planned to take place in 2011, and issued the election writ on the same day.^[29] Candidate nominations were open from 21 to 22 October, while voter registration closed on 4 November.^[30] Delegations from Australia and New Zealand were present in Tonga to observe the elections.^[31] On election day, polling for the people's representatives commenced at 9:00 and concluded at 16:00. Voting for the nobles was held at the palace office in Nukuʻalofa and was open from 10:00 to 11:00.^[32] The observers stated that the election was "well conducted and completely transparent".^[33]

The PTOA won 12 of the people's seats, two short of an outright majority, and secured nine of the ten constituencies on Tongatapu.^[34] Independent candidates won the other five people's seats.^[35] Despite capturing most of the people's constituencies, the PTOA only received 28% of the popular vote, while independents dominated with a combined vote share of 67%.^[23] The PTOA was also the only party secure any seats.^[35] Two of the successful noble candidates were newcomers.^[36] None of the female candidates won a seat,^[37] while voter turnout exceeded 90%.^[23]

More information Party, Votes ...

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands	10,953	28.49	12	New
	People's Democratic Party	934	2.43	0	–2
	Sustainable Nation-Building Party	519	1.35	0	New
	Tongan Democratic Labor Party	168	0.44	0	New
	Independents	25,873	67.30	5	+2
Nobles' representatives				9	0
Total		38,447	100.00	26	–4
Valid votes		38,447	99.83
Invalid/blank votes		66	0.17
Total votes		38,513	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		42,395	90.84
Source: IFES

Close

The election was widely reported as a triumph for the PTOA and the reformists. The party needed to win over the independent people's representatives to form a government. Because the nobles operated as a unified bloc, the independent people's MPs held the balance of power. The monarch advised the nobles to refrain from nominating a member of their bloc to contest the parliamentary vote for prime minister to ensure the people's representatives would lead the government formation. Despite Deputy Leader Halapua being touted as a candidate for prime minister during the campaign, mainly due to his more favourable reputation with the nobles, the PTOA instead nominated Pōhiva. Two of the independent people's representatives nominated noble MP Sialeʻataongo Tuʻivakanō.^[38] Pōhiva hosted public rallies in an attempt to convince the independents to support him. The PTOA leader also sought to introduce a dynamic of bipolarity to parliament, that is, a government with an adversarial opposition, which reportedly alienated the nobles and some independent people's MPs who favoured greater unity and cooperation. As such, these MPs were not receptive to Pōhiva's call for a government of national unity, which they believed was a smoke screen.^[28] The PTOA gained the support of one independent,^[39] however, this was offset by another MP withdrawing support for the party.^[40]

The Legislative Assembly was initially scheduled to convene and vote for a prime minister on 20 December, but the meeting was deferred to the following day. The delay was due to the Lord Chamberlain, tasked with presenting the monarch with the prime ministerial election results, being unable to meet with him on the original day. The monarch, by law, is required to be the first informed of all secret ballot results, of which elections for prime minister are conducted.^[41] Tu‘ivanakō went on to defeat Pōhiva, receiving 14 votes, while the PTOA leader received 12.^[38] Tuʻivakanō was sworn in as prime minister on 22 December,^[42] and unveiled his cabinet on 31 December. The new prime minister included three nobles and six people's representatives in his cabinet, such as former Justice Minister Samiu Vaipulu who became deputy prime minister. Tuʻivakanō also chose two commoners from outside parliament: Clive Edwards, who lost his seat during the election,^[43] and ʻAna Taufeʻulungaki, who became education minister and the sole female member of parliament.^[37] Two PTOA members were appointed to cabinet, including Pōhiva who was to be health minister. He later declined to assume the role, however, expressing disappointment that the PTOA were not offered more roles in cabinet.^[28] The two PTOA members that did accept cabinet positions was Sione Sangster Saulala, who was expelled from the party shortly after taking office, and Siosifa Tuʻitupou Tuʻutafaiva, who subsequently left the PTOA.^[44] The party subsequently became the de facto opposition.^[28] Cabinet ministers assumed office on 4 January 2011,^[45] while members of the Legislative Assembly were sworn in on 14 January.^[46]