Nuku'alofa, Tonga – King Tupou VI has officially accepted the resignation of Hon. Siaosi Sovaleni as Prime Minister of Tonga. The announcement came this morning as Parliament was preparing to debate a Motion for a Vote of No Confidence, filed by Tongatapu 5 People's Representative, Hon. 'Aisake Eke.
In an address to Parliament, Prime Minister Sovaleni confirmed that he would step down from his position effective immediately, although he will continue to serve as a Member of Parliament (MP).
The resignation now activates Clause 50A of the Tongan Constitution, which outlines the procedure for the appointment of a new Prime Minister. According to this clause:
- Nomination Process: Following the return of the writs of election after a general election, the Interim Speaker will invite elected representatives to submit nominations for Prime Minister Designate. Each nomination must be seconded by two other elected representatives and submitted within 14 days which starts today 9th of December.
- Selection Process: Within 3 days of the nominations deadline, the Interim Speaker will convene a meeting of all elected representatives (from both the people's and nobles' representatives) to decide on a recommendation for the new Prime Minister.
The deadline for submitting nominations is December 23, 2024. In light of the resignation, Speaker of the House, Lord Fatafehi Fakafanua, has announced that Parliament will reconvene on December 24, 2024, to proceed with the next steps in the process.
Lord Fakafanua has also directed that both the Motion for the Vote of No Confidence and the Prime Minister’s response be made publicly available as official documents.
Motion for the Vote of No Confidence (Fokotu’u Fika 4A/2024 (Fokotu’u ke Paloti ke Fakamaloloo’i ‘a e ‘Eiki Palemia, Hon. Hu’avakameiliku)
Prime Minister’s response (Tohi Tali ‘a e ‘Eiki Palemia, Hon. Hu’akavameiliku ki he Fokotu’u Fika 4A/2024)