Niua 17

Niua 17 is an electoral constituency for the Legislative Assembly in the Kingdom of Tonga. It was established for the November 2010 general election, when the multi-seat regional constituencies for People's Representatives were replaced by single-seat constituencies, electing one representative via the first past the post electoral system. It encompasses the entirety of the Niua island group, for which it is the sole constituency. (The number does not mean that it is the seventeenth in the Niuas, but in the country.) Thus, although it is technically a new constituency, it corresponds exactly to the former Niuas constituency, which also elected a single representative.[1]

Niua 17
Constituency
for the Legislative Assembly of Tonga
RegionNiuas
Current constituency
Created2010
Number of members1
Member(s)Sosefo Vakata

Its first ever (and so far only) representative is Sosefo Fe‘aomoeata Vakata, an independent first time MP. Vakata stood as a candidate for the Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands in the 2010 general election, and defeated the incumbent MP for the Niuas, independent member Sione ʻIloa. Barely two weeks after the election, however, Vakata announced that he was leaving the party, and would henceforth sit as an independent, so that he could support a noble, rather than DPFI leader ʻAkilisi Pohiva, for the premiership. He was subsequently appointed Minister for Youth,Training, Employment and Sports.[2][3][4]

Members of Parliament
ElectionMemberParty
2010 Sosefo Vakata Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands
(resignation from party,
8 December 2010)		 Sosefo Vakata Independent

Election results

2010
Tongan general election, 2010: Niua 17
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
DPFI Sosefo Fe‘aomoeata Vakata 383 46.8
Independent Sione Feingatau ‘Iloa 228 27.8
(unknown) Petelo Taukei Fuaevalu ‘Ahomana 208 25.4
Majority 155 19.0 n/a
DPFI win (new seat)

References
  1. "Niua 17", Parliament of Tonga
  2. "Hon. Fe'ao Vakata, Youth, Sports & Training Minister" Archived 2011-11-30 at the Wayback Machine, Tonga government portal, 17 January 2011
  3. Biography of Sosefo Vakata on the website of the Tongan Parliament
  4. "Results: Niua 17 election", Tongan government portal
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