The powerful King of Tonga has been bringing his elected administration to heel for months, and on Thursday, the country’s ministers of defense and foreign affairs resigned from their positions.
In response to royal requests, Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni declared in parliament that he would give up his position overseeing the armed forces and that his close friend Fekitamoeloa ‘Utoikamanu would quit her positions overseeing foreign affairs and tourism.
Since the late 1800s, Tonga has operated under a constitutional democratic system. Since the monarchy gave up part of its powers in 2010 as a result of democratic reforms, the royal family’s influence in politics has decreased.
But that trend was challenged this year, when King Tupou VI abruptly withdrew “confidence and consent” for appointments to three key ministries.
No reason has been publicly given, but speculation has swirled about a power play between hereditary royals and the political class.
Malakai Koloamatangi, a political scientist at the University of Fiji, said the crisis should be seen as part of long-running unreconciled tensions “between the position of the monarch and parliament-executive”.
“It’s unclear what the motivations are on the part of His Majesty” Koloamatangi said, “it could be that he thinks that the defence… portfolio ought to be in the hands of a noble in accordance with past precedent.”
Initially, the prime minister had refused to budge. The attorney general of Tonga declared the King’s action to be unconstitutional in legal advice.
The administration used a provision of the constitution that states that the King may remove ministers “on the recommendation of the prime minister” or by a vote of no confidence in parliament.
Following heated parliamentary debates and his denial of any insult to the King, the prime minister made a U-turn.
The prime minister said that although the portfolio for tourism had been redistributed, no new minister for international affairs or the armed forces had been named yet.
With a population of about 100,000 people dispersed among 170 islands, Tonga is known for being the last indigenous monarchy in the Pacific.
