General elections were held in

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

on 1 May 1981. Seven nobles were elected by their peers, whilst a further seven People's Representatives were publicly elected.

Results

Amid a record voter turnout, four of the seven incumbent People's Representatives were unseated.Election upsets in Tonga
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', June 1981, p6

Haʻapai Haʻapai is a group of islands, islets, reefs, and shoals in the central part of Tonga. It has a combined land area of . The Tongatapu island group lies to its south, and the Vavaʻu group lies to its north. Seventeen of the Haʻapai islands are ...

MP ‘Uliti Uata was beaten by Pousima Afeaki;

Tongatapu Tongatapu is the main island of Tonga and the site of its capital, Nukualofa. It is located in Tonga's southern island group, to which it gives its name, and is the country's most populous island, with 74,611 residents (2016), 70.5% of the nation ...

representatives

Tomiteau Finau Tomiteau Finau (died 28 October 1984) was a Tongan civil servant, lawyer and politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly in two spells between 1971 and 1974. Biography The son of the MP Molitoni Finau, Tomiteau was educated at ...

and Papiloa Foliaki were defeated by Joe Tuʻilatai Mataele and Sitili Tupouniua; and

Vavaʻu Vavau is an island group, consisting of one large island ( ʻUtu Vavaʻu) and 40 smaller ones, in Tonga. It is part of Vavaʻu District, which includes several other individual islands. According to tradition, the Maui god created both Tongata ...

MP Palavilala Tapueluelu was defeated by Ula Afuhaʻamango.

References

{{Tongan elections

1981 in Tonga Elections in Tonga Non-partisan elections May 1981 events in Oceania