At Stake in this Election:  

• 17 of the up to 30 members of the Tongan Legislative Assembly 

Government Structure: 

• Chief of State: King Tupou VI (since 18 Mar 2012) 

• Head of Government: Prime Minister ʻAisake Valu EKE (since 22 Jan 2025) 

• Assembly: unicameral Legislative Assembly (Fale Alea) with up to 30 seats. 

Electoral System: 

• The King is a hereditary monarch. 

• The Prime Minister is elected by the Legislative Assembly. 

• 17 of the up to 30 members of the Legislative Assembly are directly elected via plurality vote. 9 members are indirectly elected by Tongan nobles. Up to four seats are reserved for cabinet members who are not already a member of the Legislative Assembly. All members serve a 4-year term. 

Last Election: 

In the last election in 2021, independent candidates won a majority of seats, with 13. Voter turnout was 62%. 

Key Deadlines: 

• Candidate filing deadline: 9 Oct 2025 

• Voter registration deadline: 6 Nov 2025  

Main Parties in this Election: 

• Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands 

• Seats won in the last election: 3 seats out of 17 

• Tonga People’s Party 

• Seats won in the last election: 1 seat out of 17 

Note: candidates run as independents, and most do not associate with a political party. Parties listed here won seats in the last election.  

Country Context: 

• Population: 104,175 (2024 est.) 

• Registered Voters: 64,700 (2025) 

• V-Dem Electoral Democracy Index Score: Not available 

• V-Dem Regimes of the World Classification: Not available. 

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.769, High, rank 92 (2023) 

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 54,962 (2024 est.) 

• CEDAW Status: Not signed 

• Gender Quota:  No 

• Female Candidates in this election: Yes 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 3 out of 30 (10%) in the Legislative Assembly 

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Not available 

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Not signed 

• Projected population with a disability: 16,668 (2024 est.)