# Aisake Eke wins Tonga’s parliamentary vote to become prime minister
Event date: 2024-12-24
ʻAisake Eke has been chosen as Tonga’s next prime minister after winning a parliamentary secret ballot 16-8, a result that confirms the island kingdom’s latest leadership transition after the resignation of Hu'akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni earlier this month.
The vote took place at a special sitting of parliament on Tuesday, according to RNZ Pacific. Lord Fakafanua, the Speaker, announced that Eke had received 16 votes, while Viliame Latu, the other nominee, received eight. The total vote count was 24. King Tupou VI endorsed the result before the formal announcement.
Eke is expected to be sworn in at the next sitting of parliament, which RNZ said is anticipated on February 3, 2025. That means Tonga’s new government will begin with a short transition period rather than an immediate handover.
The result follows Sovaleni’s resignation on December 9, just ahead of a no-confidence motion. In his remarks after stepping down, Sovaleni said the move was “the best way forward for Tonga” and thanked supporters while expressing hope that someone would emerge to lead the country through the months before the next general election.
The parliamentary process also reflected the balance of Tonga’s small but politically active legislature. Two nominees were received before the Monday deadline: Eke and Latu. Eke, who had recently filed the no-confidence motion against Sovaleni, was believed to have support from 14 MPs, including three nobles, while Latu represented the current government’s choice.
The new prime minister is no stranger to the Tongan political system. RNZ reported that Eke previously served as Minister for Finance and National Planning from 2014 until March 2017, after resigning from the government led by the late Prime Minister ʻAkilisi Pohiva. He is also a former Secretary for Finance and first entered parliament in 2010 as MP for Tongatapu 5.
His path has included electoral defeat and a return. Eke lost his seat in 2017 but came back to parliament in 2021, where he was again nominated for prime minister and lost to Sovaleni. That history gives his latest victory added significance: it is both a personal comeback and a sign that the legislature has shifted.
The vote itself appears to have been decisive, but the surrounding politics remain fragile. The government is changing hands close to the general election cycle, and the incoming prime minister will have limited time to consolidate authority before the next contest. RNZ reported that some MPs had tried to make Eke the only nominee, but Latu insisted on using his constitutional right to stand.
For Tonga, the parliamentary choice is more than a procedural matter. It sets the tone for the next phase of government in a system where consensus, noble representation and executive experience all matter. Eke now inherits both the expectations of continuity and the pressure that comes with leading a country heading toward a new election year.
