Dr ‘Aisake Valu Eke has been officially appointed prime minister of Tonga by King Tupou VI at the Nuku’alofa Royal Palace.
He replaces former Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku, who suddenly resigned last month.
The king is also expected to appoint Eke’s Cabinet Ministers shortly.
The king was overseas shortly after Parliament elected Eke in December.
His Majesty returned to the kingdom last weekend and made the official assignment this morning.
Dr Eke attained his first degree in Economics from the University of the South Pacific (USP) in the 1980s and his doctorate from the University of Southern Queensland in 2013.
He had been the chief executive officer of the Ministry of Finance and National Planning for over 10 years.
He was first elected to Parliament as an independent in 2010 after the constitutional and democratic reforms.
From a political perspective, Eke could be perceived as a leftist, demonstrating support for the founder of the Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands, Paati Temokalati ‘a e ‘Otumotu Anga’ofa (PTOA), Samuela ‘Akilisi Pohiva.
Pohva consistently advocates for enhanced social and economic equality, endorsing socially liberal principles such as the CEDAW convention and advocating for limiting the king’s authority within the executive branch of government. Pōhiva had long campaigned for Tonga to become a democracy, which came to fruition in 2010 after the late King George V willingly relinquished his executive power.
In October 2011, Eke joined other MPs to protest against Parliament allowing large allowances for members on sick leave overseas.
He believed that MPs should not spend more public money on themselves when the economy was weak. He was one of eight MPs who voted against the increased allowances.
In January 2014, he was appointed as Minister of Finance. He subsequently kept that position in the incoming government of Prime Minister Pōhiva.
In March 2017, he abstained during a parliamentary vote concerning a motion of no confidence against the Pōhiva government, which ultimately necessitated his resignation. Following this event, he lost his parliamentary seat in the election held in 2017.
