13 Sep 2017

At least 5,000 new voters register for Tongan election

3:48 pm on 13 September 2017

With just two months to go before Tongans head to the polls on 16 November, there are more than 57,000 registered voters, according to a provisional electoral roll.

Just over 51,000 voters registered for the last election in 2014.

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Photo: RNZI / Koro Vaka'uta

Supervisor of Elections Pita Vuki says the final electoral roll will be printed on September 15.

Mr Vuki told the Matangi Tonga website that he expects the number of voters to be close to that of the provisional roll but there are still voters coming in to register.

The deadline for new voters to register is Thursday.

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Photo: RNZI / Koro Vaka'uta

The provisional electoral roll consists of 51% women and 49% men.

Nearly 71 percent of those on the roll reside in Tongatapu, just under 15 percent in Vava'u, with the remainder shared between the other outer islands.

Tonga heads to the polls, a year early, after King Tupou VI dissolved parliament last month.

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