Tonga’s prime minister quits moments ahead of no-confidence motion in parliament
Associated PressWELLINGTON, New Zealand — Tonga’s Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni abruptly resigned in parliament on Monday ahead of a planned no-confidence vote in his leadership, capping a period of fraught relations between his government and Tonga’s king. A statement on the Tongan Parliament Facebook page said Sovaleni, 54, quit “for the good of the country and moving Tonga forward.” Video from Tonga’s parliament on Monday showed the leader making brief and emotional remarks in Tongan before the no-confidence vote was scheduled to take place. Some lawmakers at first decried the king’s pressure on Sovaleni and his foreign minister as unconstitutional, but both eventually resigned their posts in April — although Sovaleni remained prime minister. “I’m not sure whether that’s the reason,” he said, according to RNZ, adding that he still did not know why he and Tonga’s foreign minister had lost the king’s confidence earlier this year.
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Tonga’s prime minister quits moments before parliament’s no-confidence motion
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