Following the general elections of 20 November 2025, the Legislative Assembly of the Kingdom of Tonga has elected Lord Fatafehi Fakafānua as Prime Minister-designate. His election took place on 15 December 2025, in a secret ballot of the 26 elected members of parliament.
Lord Fakafānua, who has served as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly for a total of eight years — from 2012 to 2014 and again from 2018 to 2025 — has now been succeeded in that role by Lord ʻAlipate Tuʻivanuavou Vaea (Lord Vaea), elected unopposed as the new Speaker during the same sitting.
In accordance with Tonga’s constitutional procedures, Lord Fakafānua now awaits his formal appointment by the Head of State and Sovereign, His Majesty King Tupou VI. Once appointed and sworn in, he will become the 20th Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Tonga, while Lord Vaea will assume office as the next Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.
Biography of the Prime Minister-Designate
Lord Fatafehi Fakafānua, 8th Lord Fakafānua, is a respected Tongan noble and long-serving parliamentarian. He first entered the Legislative Assembly in 2008 as a nobles’ representative. His time in national leadership includes two substantial periods as Speaker in 2012–2014, and 2018–2025.
Born in 1985, he is recognised as one of the youngest political leaders in Tonga’s modern history. With close links to the Tongan Royal Family and academic training in law, diplomacy and international affairs, Lord Fakafānua has championed parliamentary stability, youth empowerment, and constructive cooperation between nobles and people’s representatives. His election represents a significant moment in Tonga’s political evolution and reflects renewed confidence in his leadership.
HM Hon Consul-General of Tonga to Portugal Anthony Bailey extended his congratulations to the Prime Minister-Designate Lord Fakafānua recalling that only a couple weeks earlier on 29 October 2025 whilst in Gozo, Malta, both met to discuss Tongan-Portuguese Relations.
