His Majesty King Tupou VI has proclaimed ʻAkilisi Pōhiva’s cabinet will continue on as caretaker government which will run the country until after the upcoming general election in November.
The announcement was made today by His Majesty’s Lord Chamberlain.
“His Majesty commanded that new representatives of nobles and the people to be elected to enter the Legislative Assembly at elections to be held in no later than November 16″, the Lord Chamberlain said in a statement.
“Until those elections take place, the present government will continue as caretaker government
During this time, the administration of government services especially Health and Education services to the people should remain a priority”.
Hon. Pōhiva and his cabinet were dismissed yesterday after King Tupou VI had dissolved the Parliament.
NZ troops in Tonga come home
Meanwhile, the New Zealand SAS troops in Tonga will be brought home as soon as possible, the New Zealand government has announced.
A group of 20 New Zealand SAS troops are in Tonga, where the Prime Minister has suddenly been dismissed by the King.
Foreign Minister Gerry Brownlee told the New Zealand Herald yesterday the troops were there for a routine exercise, and today confirmed they would be pulled out of the country as soon as possible.
“Rather than continuing on to do their scheduled training exercise we’ve concluded this is a time for Tonga to have some clear air, uncomplicated by the coincidental presence of NZDF personnel in the country”, Brownlee said.
