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Agence France-Presse

Tonga’s parliament appointed election favourite Siaosi Sovaleni as the Pacific nation’s new leader on Wednesday, ending almost a month of intense negotiations after a November 18 poll.
Sovaleni, 51, comfortably defeated his only rival for the top job, Aisake Eke, winning 16 votes in a secret ballot of the legislature’s 26 members.
“I am grateful that you all have given me your trust with this important role to lead our government for the next four years,” Prime Minister-elect Sovaleni told parliament.
“I hope that we work together as one house.”
Tonga enters lockdown after first coronavirus case recorded
Sovaleni studied computing at Oxford and also has a masters in business administration from the University of the South Pacific.
He was first elected to parliament in 2014 and served as deputy prime minister from 2014-17, then became education minister in 2019.
The parliament has 17 members elected by the people with nine places held by hereditary nobles.
The nation of 106,000 implemented democratic reforms in 2010 in the wake of rioting four years earlier that razed the capital Nuku’alofa’s downtown area.
In the lead-up to the election, King Tupou VI highlighted a need for the government to use taxpayers’ money wisely and said Tonga faced many challenges including drug abuse, climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic.


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Pacific nations

Tonga appoints Siaosi Sovaleni as prime minister, nearly a month after election

Voters from outer islands queue up to enter their designated polling place during Tonga’s general election on November 18. Photo: AFP

China asked to restructure Tonga’s heavy debts as coronavirus hits tourism

King Tupou VI of Tonga is welcomed by Chinese President Xi Jinping during a state visit, but the island nation is struggling to repay its loans. Photo: AFP

Is Chinese money creating a debt trap in Tonga?

After Cyclone Gita damaged Tonga’s Parliament House last year, the government suggested China might like to pay to rebuild it. Photo: AP

In this Wednesday, April 10, 2019, photo, young men play a game of rugby at sunset in Nuku'alofa, Tonga. China is pouring billions of dollars in aid and low-interest loans into the South Pacific, and even in the far-flung kingdom of Tonga there are signs that a battle for power and influence among much larger nations is heating up and could exact a toll. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

In this Sunday, April 7, 2019, photo, locals prepare to leave their house in Nuku'alofa, Tonga. China is pouring billions of dollars in aid and low-interest loans into the South Pacific, and even in the far-flung kingdom of Tonga there are signs that a battle for power and influence among much larger nations is heating up and could exact a toll. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

In this Wednesday, April 10, 2019, photo, a man walks past a development site for a Chinese Investment bank in Nuku'alofa, Tonga. China is pouring billions of dollars in aid and low-interest loans into the South Pacific, and even in the far-flung kingdom of Tonga there are signs that a battle for power and influence among much larger nations is heating up and could exact a toll. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

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The Oxford-educated PM defeated his only rival, Aisake Eke, in a secret parliamentary ballot to lead the Pacific nation of 106,000
Ahead of the November 18 election, King Tupou VI highlighted the country’s challenges including drug abuse, climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic



The Oxford-educated PM defeated his only rival, Aisake Eke, in a secret ballot to lead the Pacific nation of 106,000.
