Freedom in the World 2018 - Tonga

Freedom Status: Free
Aggregate Score: 75 (0 = Least Free, 100 = Most Free)
Freedom Rating: 2.0 (1 = Most Free, 7 = Least Free)
Political Rights: 2 (1 = Most Free, 7 = Least Free)
Civil Liberties: 2 (1 = Most Free, 7 = Least Free)

Quick Facts

Population: 100,000
Capital: Nuku'alofa
GDP/capita: $4,094
Press Freedom Status: Free

OVERVIEW

Tonga's constitutional monarchy has featured a prime minister backed by a mostly elected parliament since 2010. However, the king retains important powers, including the authority to veto legislation, dissolve the parliament, and appoint judicial officials. While civil liberties are generally protected, ongoing problems include political pressure on the state broadcaster and land laws that discriminate against women.

Key Developments in 2017:

• In August, the king dissolved the parliament in an apparent bid to oust the government of Prime Minister 'Akilisi Pōhiva, a commoner and former democracy activist who had survived a no-confidence motion by members of the nobility in February.

• Pōhiva was returned to office in December after his supporters won snap elections in November.

• The prime minister's harsh complaints about coverage by the public broadcaster led to a series of leadership changes during the year, prompting serious concerns about the outlet's future independence.

POLITICAL RIGHTS: 30 / 40

A. ELECTORAL PROCESS: 9 / 12

The king is no longer the chief executive authority, but he retains significant powers, including the ability to veto legislation and dissolve the parliament. The current monarch, King Tupou VI, came to the throne in 2012 and is known to hold more conservative views than his late brother and predecessor, George Tupou V.

The prime minister, who chooses the cabinet, is formally appointed by the king on the recommendation of the parliament. Prime Minister Pōhiva first took office in 2014 after that year's elections. In February 2017, he survived a no-confidence motion led by noble members of the parliament. The king dissolved the parliament in August after consulting with the speaker, Lord Tu'ivakanō, who accused the prime minister of seeking to further reduce the monarch's constitutional authority. However, after snap elections in November resulted in a victory for Pōhiva's supporters, he was returned to the premiership in December.

The unicameral Fale Alea, or Legislative Assembly, consists of 17 members who are directly elected by commoners, nine noble members elected by their peers, and up to four additional members whom the prime minister may appoint to the cabinet from outside the parliament and who hold their seats ex officio. The speaker is appointed from among the noble members on the recommendation of the assembly.

In the November 2017 snap elections, Pōhiva and his supporters in the loosely affiliated Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands won 14 of the 17 popularly elected seats, a sizeable gain from their previous share.

The Electoral Commission administers elections competently and fairly, though the framework for parliamentary elections falls short of universal suffrage due to the reservation of nine seats for the nobility.

B. POLITICAL PLURALISM AND PARTICIPATION: 14 / 16

A formal party system has yet to develop, and all candidates technically run as independents in their single-member constituencies. Nevertheless, there are no major restrictions on political competition, and in practice politicians have begun to form loose partisan affiliations such as Pōhiva's Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands.

Reformist commoners and more conservative noble politicians have alternated in the premiership in recent years, establishing a pattern of democratic transfers after the 2010 constitutional reforms. Before Pōhiva took office in 2014, Lord Tu'ivakano was the prime minister.

The monarchy, the nobility, and the country's churches exert considerable political influence, but this has not prevented majority support for prodemocracy candidates in recent elections.

Women have the same formal political rights as men, and 15 women ran for seats in the November 2017 parliamentary elections, but only two won office – an increase from zero in the previous legislature. Cultural biases tend to discourage women's political participation, and women cannot inherit noble titles, meaning the noble seats in the parliament are effectively reserved for men. Participation by ethnic minorities is subject to similar obstacles, though the population is mostly homogeneous, and many members of the small Chinese minority have been able to obtain citizenship and its associated political rights.

C. FUNCTIONING OF GOVERNMENT: 7 / 12

The elected prime minister and his cabinet largely control the formulation and implementation of government policy, but the king continues to rely on a privy council – whose members he appoints himself – for advice regarding the use of his constitutional powers.

Corruption and abuse of office are serious problems. While public officials and leaders of state-owned companies are sometimes held to account for bribery and other malfeasance, anticorruption mechanisms are generally weak and lacking in resources. An ombudsman was appointed in late 2016, but the post of anticorruption commissioner has been vacant since its creation in 2007. The illegal sale of Tongan passports is an ongoing problem. Pōhiva has been criticized for appointing his son as his personal assistant and allegedly misusing public funds.

Tonga does not have a law to guarantee public access to government information, which can be difficult to obtain in practice, and officials are not legally obliged to disclose their assets and income. The government has at times resisted public scrutiny of pending policies. Nevertheless, the parliament generally operates openly, and the media and civil society are typically able to monitor its proceedings and comment on legislation.

CIVIL LIBERTIES: 45 / 60 (+1)

D. FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND BELIEF: 12 / 16

The constitution guarantees freedom of the press, and a variety of news outlets operate independently, including online. However, politicians have a history of using civil defamation suits and other means to retaliate against critical coverage. Pōhiva has repeatedly complained about reporting by the state-run Tonga Broadcasting Commission (TBC), accusing the radio and television outlet of becoming "an enemy of government" in March 2017. A series of leadership changes followed later in the year. The TBC's longtime general manager was terminated in May when her contract came up for renewal, a Pōhiva ally was appointed as board chairman in September after a previous chairman was pressured to resign, and the chief editor and news manager were transferred to the sales department in October, raising widespread concerns among press freedom advocates.

Constitutional protections for religious freedom are generally upheld in practice. Religious groups are not required to register, but those that do receive various benefits. There are some restrictions on commercial activity on Sundays in keeping with a constitutional recognition of the Christian sabbath. The TBC's policy guidelines bar broadcasts of preaching outside the "mainstream Christian tradition," though this has reportedly not been strictly enforced.

Academic freedom is generally unrestricted, though there have been reports of self-censorship to avoid friction with the government in the past.

There are no major constraints on Tongans' ability to discuss politics and other topics in person or on social media. The government is not known to monitor personal communications.

E. ASSOCIATIONAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL RIGHTS: 9 / 12

The constitution protects freedom of assembly, and demonstrations, though rare, generally remain peaceful. However, political protests in 2006 degenerated into violent riots, prompting the government to declare a state of emergency that lasted until early 2011.

Nongovernmental organizations have not reported harassment or other restrictions by the authorities. A number of different laws govern the registration processes for civil society groups, but they are not considered onerous.

Workers have the legal right to organize in trade unions, but implementing regulations have never been issued, meaning the country's various de facto unions generally operate as associations. Tonga joined the International Labour Organization in 2016, though it has yet to ratify the organization's conventions on labor standards.

F. RULE OF LAW: 12 / 16 (+1)

The king retains authority over judicial appointments and dismissals. The Judicial Appointments and Discipline Panel, a committee of the privy council, provides advice on appointments, including for the lord chancellor, who has responsibility for administering the courts. The king in privy council has final jurisdiction over cases in the land court relating to hereditary estates and titles.

The judiciary is regarded as largely independent, but the prime minister has accused the royally appointed attorney general of interfering with judicial rulings, and has pressed for reforms that would bring the attorney general into the orbit of the elected government. Broader judicial reforms that would have increased the cabinet's influence over judicial appointments were adopted by the parliament in 2014, but the king never gave his assent.

Due process provisions and safeguards against arbitrary arrest and detention are typically respected by the authorities. However, there is no mechanism to guarantee access to counsel for indigent defendants.

Prison conditions are generally adequate, police brutality is rare, and crime rates remain relatively low. A number of police officers accused of misconduct have been investigated, dismissed, or convicted of crimes in recent years. However, rising public concern has focused on problems including the country's role as a transit point for drug trafficking, drug-related petty crime, and organized crime affecting the Chinese community.

The constitution includes a general provision for equality before the law, and this is upheld in many respects. However, women still face some forms of discrimination, including in land and inheritance laws and with respect to employment in practice. Same-sex sexual activity is criminalized, but the ban is not actively enforced, and in recent years local LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) groups have worked to raise awareness of their cause and lobbied the government to adopt legal reforms.

Continued bias and instances of crime against members of the Chinese minority have been reported, though nothing approaching the scale of the 2006 riots – which targeted Chinese-owned businesses – has occurred since the state of emergency was lifted in 2011.

Score Change: The score increased from 2 to 3 due to long-term, incremental improvements in the environment for women, LGBT people, and the Chinese minority.

G. PERSONAL AUTONOMY AND INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS: 12 / 16

There are no significant constraints on freedom of movement or the ability to change places of residence or employment.

The legal framework generally supports private business activity. However, individuals cannot own or sell land outright, as all land is technically the property of the king. Land rights, once granted by nobles or directly by the crown through an allotment system, can only be leased or inherited, and while women can obtain leases, they are not eligible to receive or inherit land allotments.

Personal social freedoms are typically respected. However, domestic violence remains a problem despite state and civil society efforts to prevent it, and girls as young as 15 – the legal minimum age for marriage – are sometimes compelled by their parents to marry.

While much of the population has access to economic opportunities and protection from abusive working conditions, foreign household workers – many of them from Fiji – are vulnerable to exploitation and practices like passport confiscation, and East Asian women have been trafficked to the country for forced prostitution.

Scoring Key: X / Y (Z)

X = Score Received
Y = Best Possible Score
Z = Change from Previous Year