'Pushing The Boundaries': Is Tonga's King Turning His Back On Democracy?

Friday, 31 January 2025, 8:05 pm
Article: RNZ

Don Wiseman, RNZ Pacific Senior Journalist

Tonga's King Tupou VI is reasserting his royal authority, with his imprint clear in the new Cabinet announced this week, a high-profile lawyer on the island says.

After a month of delays, the new Tonga Prime Minister, 'Aisake Eke, named his 11 senior ministers on Tuesday.

The Cabinet includes the Crown Prince Tuputo'a, who is now in charge of the foreign affairs and defence portfolios - a move that gives King Tupou complete control over both sectors, with no input from the elected government.

Tongan lawyer Lopeti Senituli told RNZ Pacific that, given the democratic changes embraced by the country in 2010, there has to be a dialogue between the Palace and the Cabinet.

"This is what I call pushing the boundaries," he said. "Apparently, the King has some executive powers that he retained after the reforms in 2010."

He said although the executive powers of the King in the Privy Council were devolved to Cabinet and prime minister, there was an exception clause.

"And that exemption clause included executive powers that have been specifically provided to His Majesty via the constitution, through other legislation, regulations, ordinances or through royal prerogative.

He said the 2010 Constitution provided for an an opportunity for the prime minister to select a maximum of four Cabinet ministers from outside those 26 that are elected by the people and the nobles.

"What we are seeing today is a mixture of the Westminster system, where the prime minister selects his Cabinet ministers, and the Washington system, where the president appoints his cabinet ministers from outside.

"We are going back to a mixture of what happened prior to 2010 and after it."

According to Senituli, the reason for the long delay in appointing a Cabinet was that Eke's initial submission - that included nobles to be Cabinet ministers - was refused by King Tupou.

"Except, of course, for his, who is the Crown Prince. This is very interesting because, for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry for Defence, His Majesty has some executive powers directly over these two ministries.

King Tupou is the commander-in-chief of Tonga's Armed Forces, and appoints the chief of defense staff, who is the commander, and the board.

"The board at the moment is His Majesty plus the Privy Council members, so there are all appointees of his, with no input from the prime minister or for the other major shareholder of the executive power."

Under Tonga's constitution, the King also has authority to sign treaties with other nations.

"It's that executive power which the King is using to strech the boundaries. We are in for a rough ride," Senituli said.

When asked if the King appreciates the value of Tonga having embraced more democracy in 2010, Senituli said, "Very clearly, he is trying to reassert his royal authority."

"The executive powers that are still in his hands under the constitution and other legislations, he's trying to reassert that."

Senituli believes the King needs to sit down and have a dialogue with the current prime minister and his Cabinet about the way forward.

"The Cabinet includes some members of the people with pro-democracy sympathies, although the pro-democracy sympathisers now are broken up into several camps.

"It'll be interesting to see how the prime minister can put a team together to dialogue with His Majesty about the overlaps in the executive powers."

2025 elections

Tongans are set to head to the polls later this year to elect a new government and the formation of another Cabinet.

Senituli hopes that the dialogue between the King and Eke takes place soon.

"It cannot happen within the next 10 or 11 months or before the next election. It should happen soon. Hopefully, by the time we get to the elections after the elections in November, it will be held under a different arrangement."

He has also warned that Eke's government faces the possibility of impeachment or a vote of no confidence.

"When the current prime minister submits his budget for the next financial year, which must be done before 1 July, it's possible that the others that are not included in his Cabinet will vote against it.

"If that happens, we're back in trouble."

© Scoop Media

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