TONGA’s political events in the past three weeks took the region by surprise. First it was His Majesty King Tupou VI who did the unprecedented and disssolved Parliament, with it also sending Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva’s government out. Having taken some advice from the Speaker of the Tonga Legislative Assembly, Lord Tu’ivakano, King Tupou VI became the first in the history of the Kingdom’s political life to use his powers under the Constitution to change a government and dissolve Parliament. Many Tongans, in Nuku’alofa and abroad, were shocked and caught unawares on August 24.
Even PM Pohiva said he was caught by surprise and did not know what happened until later in the day when the reality of it all finally sunk in. Lord Tu’ivakano, himself a former Prime Minister and a current Nobles’ representative in Parliament, later told the people of Tonga he had advised the King about certain issues that were causing uneasiness within Parliament and how the government of Akilisi Pohiva were dealing with them.
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