Tonga
Legislative Assembly
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Political system
Political systems: Presidential, Parliamentary, Presidential-Parliamentary, Monarchy, Communist, Transitional.
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Monarchy
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Structure of parliament
Structure of parliament: Unicameral, bicameral
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Unicameral
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IPU membership
Current membership status
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Yes
Parliamentary mandate
Start and end of mandate
- Start of the parliamentary mandate for newly elected members
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At the first sitting of the chamber
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Date of start of mandate for newly elected members
In some countries the parliamentary mandate always begins on a fixed date.
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Not applicable
- Start of the parliamentary mandate for appointed members
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When the member is sworn in
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Date of start of mandate for appointed members
In some countries the parliamentary mandate always begins on a fixed date.
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Not applicable
- End of the parliamentary mandate
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When the mandates of the new members are validated
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Date of end of mandate
In some countries the parliamentary mandate always ends on a fixed date.
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Not applicable
Speaker
- Mode of designation of the Speaker
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Other
Notes: The Speaker is elected from among the nobles' representatives in Parliament only
- Authority that designates the Speaker when the Speaker is designated from outside parliament.
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Rank of the Speaker in the hierarchy of the State
The Speaker often has a very high rank in the protocollary hierarchy of the State.
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Other
Notes: Tonga is a Kingdom and the succession of the Crown and Throne devolves to male heirs of the Throne
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Speaker becomes interim Head of State in the event of the latter’s death or incapacity
In some countries, the Speaker acts as interim Head of State when required by the circumstances, such as death or incapacity.
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No
Notes: Tonga is a Kingdom and the succession of the Crown and Throne devolves to male heirs of the Throne (or in the case there are none, to the eldest daughter), begotten by marriage. If there is no lawful heir, the King shall appoint a successor pending consent of the House of Nobles...Should there be no heir or publicly proclaimed successor, the Prime Minister, or in his/her absence, the Cabinet of Ministers, shall convoke the Legislative Assembly to choose by ballot, one of the Chiefs to succeed the King, whom will mark a new dynasty.
Sources: Constitution, art. 33
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Speaker's mandate continues between legislatures
The mandate of the Speaker may continue until their successor is elected, even after the dissolution of parliament/chamber.
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No
Speaker terms
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Immunity and code of conduct
- Parliament’s authorization is required for the detention or prosecution of members
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No
- There is a Code of conduct for members
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No
Salaries and allowances
- Members are paid salaries by parliament
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Yes(2020)
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Basic salary, per year
The figures are the gross amount before tax in national currency.
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79,500 TOP(2023)
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Basic salary, per year in PPP
The figures are provided by parliaments in national currency and converted to PPP dollars using World Bank conversion tables.
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53,356(2023)
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Basic allowances
“Basic allowances” are allowances that are automatically paid to all parliamentarians. They are received in advance as a lump sum at a flat rate. They are not intended to be reimbursement for any expenses. Basic allowances are sometimes called “representation allowance”, “supplemental allowance”, “end-of-year allowance”, etc.
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Click for historical data
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Basic allowance in PPP
The figures were provided by parliaments in national currency and converted to PPP dollars using World Bank conversion tables.
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12,000
- Names of the basic allowances
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Allowances for housing, communication (e.g. for telephone), and hospitality
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Members pay income tax on salaries
Salaries and/or allowances may be subject to income tax or equivalent.
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Yes
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Members pay income tax on allowances
Salaries and/or allowances may be subject to income tax or equivalent.
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Yes
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Members can have remunerated employment outside parliament
Certain parliaments allow MPs to exercise other remunerated employment outside parliament.
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Yes
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Members are required to declare income from other employment to parliament
In certain countries, MPs exercising other employment may be required to declare their income.
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No
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Additional salaries and allowances provided for leadership positions
The amount of salaries and allowances is generally higher for the Speaker/President. Some parliaments also provide for additional allowances to Chairs of Committees.
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Yes
Facilities, services and allowances for constituency work
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Personal staff to work directly for the parliamentarian
The personal staff to work directly for the parliamentarian is different from parliamentary staff work for the secretariat of Parliament.
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Yes
- Office at parliament
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Yes
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Constituency office
Certain countries provide for an office at constituency if it’s different from a seat of parliament, which is often in the capital. The office at constituency is applicable mainly to the countries using the Plurality/Majority system of elections.
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Yes
- Housing
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No
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Other cash or in-kind allowances for constituency work
The common in-kind allowances for constituency work include those for travel, overnight stay, etc.
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No
Additional salaries and allowances for leadership positions
| Salary | Allowances | |
|---|---|---|
| Speaker | Yes | |
| Committee Chair | Yes |
Notes:
Speaker: T$ 72,215 per annum
Committee Chairs: T$ 66,215 per annum + T$ 90/hour
Committee Members: T$ 80/hour
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Salary of the Speaker
Some parliaments pay for additional salaries to the Speaker/President. Other parliaments have a separate amount of salaries for this post. The total amount of the salaries of the Speaker/President is indicated for both cases.
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72,215 TOP
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Salary of the Speaker in PPP
The figures were provided by parliaments in national currency and converted to PPP dollars using World Bank conversion tables.
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45,134
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Parliament determines the amount of salaries
Some parliaments determine the amount of salaries of MPs. The amount may be set by other institution than parliament.
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Yes
- Name of the body (or bodies) in parliament which determines the amount
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Privileges Committee with plenary approval.
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Parliament determines the amount of allowances
Some parliaments determine the amount of allowances of MPs. The amount may be set by other institution than parliament.
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Yes
- Name of the body (or bodies) in parliament which determines the amount
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Privileges Committee, PAC and the plenary.
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Name of the institution outside parliament which determines the amount
This question is only relevant if the amount is set by other institution than parliament.
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No information available
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The parliamentary salary is determined in reference to another salary scale
In some countries, the amount of parliamentary salary is determined in reference to another salary scale, such as civil service salary scale, ministerial salary or the minimum wage of the country.
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No
- Information on salaries and allowances on the parliamentary website
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Not available.
- Links to information on salaries and allowances
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No information available
- Year data was last reported
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2020
Participation in the government
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Members of the government must also be members of parliament
Members of the government must also be members of parliament: Must be a member of parliament; Cannot be a member of parliament; Can be a member of parliament; Other
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Can be a member of parliament
Notes:
"The King shall appoint from amongst the elected representatives a Prime
Minister who is recommended by the Legislative Assembly. The Prime Minister may appoint as Cabinet Ministers not more than 4 persons who are not elected as MPs. "Sources: Constitution, art. 50A and art. 51
- Number of members of the parliament/chamber who are also members of the government
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Members for whom data is available
Number of members, at the start of the legislature, for whom age data is available
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27(2021)
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Percentage of members of parliament/chamber who are also members of the government
The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of members of the parliament/chamber who are also members of the government by the statutory number of members of parliament/chamber.
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