Tongan PM Siaosi Sovaleni resigns amid power struggle with royal family

Siaosi Sovaleni told parliament he would quit just moments before MPs decided his future in a vote of no confidence in the wake of a power struggle with the nation’s royal family.

Tonga's Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni has abruptly resigned. Picture: AFP.

Tongan Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni abruptly resigned on Monday, his office and parliament officials said, stepping down in the wake of a power struggle with the Pacific nation’s royal family.

“Yes, the prime minister has resigned but we’re not sure what happens next,” parliament official Rhonda Hufanga told AFP.

Mr Sovaleni told parliament he would quit just moments before MPs decided his future in a vote of no confidence.

It was not immediately clear who would replace Mr Sovaleni, who has occupied the top job since 2021, although the no confidence vote was led by rival and veteran politician ‘Aisake Eke.

Asked to confirm Mr Sovaleni’s resignation, a spokeswoman from the prime minister’s office told AFP: “It’s true.”

Tonga has been a constitutional monarchy since the late 19th century. Although the royals have slowly relinquished some of their powers, the Tongan king and his fellow nobles remain figures of considerable influence.

Mr Sovaleni was forced to give up the armed forces portfolio earlier this year after running afoul of King Tupou VI, who threatened to withdrew his “confidence and consent”.

Initially, the Prime Minister refused to heed the king’s demands, citing legal advice that the move was unconstitutional.

But he eventually backed down after he was forced to deny allegations of insulting the king.

Since then speculation has been rife of a growing rift between the royals and Mr Sovaleni’s government.

Tonga was forced to overhaul its constitution after pro-democracy protests in 2006, which spiralled into angry riots that razed swathes of the capital Nuku’alofa.

At the time the Tongan king held immense sway as the country’s head of state, head of government, and military commander-in-chief.

Although the monarchy eventually agreed to devolve much of its responsibility to a cabinet of elected politicians, their power has not been totally diluted.

Tonga’s hereditary nobles still elect nine members in the country’s 26-seat legislative assembly.

Tonga’s debt-laden government is seen as particularly vulnerable to economic pressure from China.

The island kingdom owes China’s export bank around $130 million – almost a third of its GDP – which was loaned to help rebuild after the 2006 riots left Nuku’alofa in ruins.

Repayments on that loan are scheduled to spike in coming months.

Mr 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.

AFP