Click on our logo to return to home
more stories »   
 
Help
Television
News
Learn English
About
Tuning In
25/04/2008 17:09:07 Tonga MPs call on king to keep promises over political involvement
Tonga
In Depth
 
Hundreds of Tongans headed home to their villages from the capital, Nuku'alofa, for Thursday's historic vote. [Campbell Cooney, Radio Australia]
Tonga's pro-democracy MP's are calling on the Island Kingdom's monarch to stand by his promise to step back from his influence over all aspects of the political system.

Our Pacific correspondent, Campbell Cooney, reports from the capital Nuku'alofa, that pro democracy MP's won six of the nine peoples representatives seats in the Kingdom of Tonga's parliament.

It's a good result for the movement's leader, MP Akilisi Pohiva.

"I'm very pleased with the outcome of the election," he said

The win comes despite all its MP's facing sedition charges over the November 2006 riots, which destroyed central Nuku'alofa.

It's the last election before the constitution is changed, to allow a larger, restructured parliament, with most government ministers to be selected from elected MPs.

Currently the King appoints all government ministers.

But the pro democracy movement is worried His Majesty won't stand by his commitment, and it's calling on him to sign off on them, during his coronation in August.

Produced by Radio Australia and Australia Network

Latest Viewpoints
Australia's foreign affairs »
07/02/2008
The Suharto era: an Australian perspective »
Former Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer - 28/01/2008
Related Stories
HOME    CONTACT US    SITE MAP    LEGALS    NEWS SOURCES    © ABC 2008