28 Feb 2017

Tonga academic praises MPs for way vote was handled

6:42 am on 28 February 2017

A Tongan academic has welcomed the way a vote of no confidence against 'Akilisi Pohiva was handled by MPs yesterday.

The vote against Prime Minister 'Akilisi Pohiva was unsuccessful, with the Government holding on to power with a vote of 14 to 10.

The nobles had made a series of accusations about the way Mr Pohiva ran his administration in what was just the second ever vote of no confidence to be staged in Tonga.

The first, more than four years ago, brought the country to a near standstill for weeks, but the Royal Oceania Institute's director of research, Tevita Motulalo, said this time around the process was far less disruptive.

"We managed to have this done in the span of a week and then decision making. It is a lot less disruptive and then both sides congratulated the other in the spirit of working together and working for the country," he said.