Tonga
Legislative Assembly
Data on women
empty
Basic information > About parliament
Speaker
Speaker
Lord
Fakafanua
(Male)
Year of birth
1985
Secretary general
Secretary General
Gloria
L Guttenbeil-Pole'o
(Female)
Notes
Additional information about the Secretary General, in particular regarding their term.
Appointed on 28 Jan. 2013.
Members
Current number of members, by sex
Women
The number of female parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.
Percentage of women
Calculated by dividing the current number of women by the current number of members.
Age
Average age of all members
Youngest member (years)
Age at the time of the last election or renewal.
Youngest member
Lord Fakafanua (Male)
Oldest member (years)
Age at the time of the last election or renewal.
80
Oldest member
Hon. William Clive Edwards (Male)
Reserved seats and quotas
Electoral quota for women
Quotas to promote the representation of women in parliament.
Elections > Election results
Candidates
Total number of candidates
Total number of people who registered as candidates for election. Does not include people who stood as candidates to become "substitute members".
86
Number of female candidates
Number of female candidates
15
Percentage of women candidates
The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of women candidates by the total number of candidates.
17.44%
Number of candidates, by sex
Number of female candidates
Number of female candidates
15
Percentage of women candidates
The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of women candidates by the total number of candidates.
17.44%
Results
Members elected, by sex
Number of men elected
25
Number of women elected
2
Percentage of women elected
The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of women elected in the election and the number of seats at stake at the election.
11.76%
Note on the Distribution of seats according to sex
Two women were directly elected in 2017. The new Cabinet, formed in January 2018, includes one male member who was not elected to the Legislative Assembly. As cabinet ministers also sit in parliament, the Legislative Assembly comprises a total of 28 members of whom two were women.
Number of women after election or renewal, by mode of designation
Women Directly Elected
2
New legislature
Total number of men after the election
The total number of male parliamentarians in this parliament/chamber following the election or renewal, regardless of their modes of designation.
2
Total number of women after the election
The total number of female parliamentarians in this parliament/chamber following the election or renewal, regardless of their modes of designation.
25
First Speaker of the new legislature
First Speaker of the new legislature
First name of the Speaker of the new legislature following the election or renewal.
Lord
Fakafanua
(Male)
Date of election
18.12.2017
Elections > Historical data on women
Women's suffrage
Date of independence
For countries that become independent after 1940
1970
Women’s right to vote
Women’s right to vote
Year in which women obtained the right to vote
1970
National or local
Suffrage: National or Local
National
Restricted or unrestricted suffrage
Suffrage: Restricted or Universal
Universal
Notes
Suffrage: Additional Notes on right of suffrage
Prior to independence, under British administration, women were given the right to vote in 1960. This right was confirmed at indepedence.
Women’s right to stand for election
Women's right to stand for election
Year in which women obtained the right to stand for election
1970
National or local
Stand for Election: National or Local
National
Restricted or unrestricted suffrage
Stand for Election : Restricted or Universal
Universal
Notes
Stand for Election: Additional Notes on right to stand for election
Prior to independence, under British administration, women were given the right to vote and stand for election in 1960. These rights were confirmed at indepedence.
First woman in parliament
First woman in parliament
Year in which first woman entered parliament
1993