Tongatapu 4 is an
electoral constituency
An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other poli ...
for the
Legislative Assembly in the
Kingdom of Tonga
Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesia, Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has List of islands and towns in Tonga, 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its tota ...
. 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
In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast their ...
electoral system. Located on the country's main island,
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 ...
, it encompasses part of
Maʻufanga (a district of the capital city,
Nukuʻalofa
Nukualofa (; ) is the capital and largest city of Tonga. It is located on the north coast of the island of Tongatapu, in the country's southernmost island group.
History
First western records of Nukualofa
On 10 June 1777, British captain James ...
), and the entirety of the villages of Houmakelikao, ʻAnana, ʻUmisi, Fangaloto, Popua, Patangata, Nukunukumotu, Tukutonga, and Pangaimotu.
Its first ever representative was
ʻIsileli Pulu, of the
Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands
The Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands ( to, Paati Temokalati ʻa e ʻOtu Motu ʻAngaʻofa) is a political party in Tonga. The party's leader at its foundation was 'Akilisi Pohiva.
The party was launched in September 2010, and included s ...
. Pulu was first elected to the Assembly in 2002, and in 2010 began his fourth term as MP, in this new constituency. He was elected with an overwhelming majority, appearing to make this, at present, a
safe seat
A safe seat is an electoral district (constituency) in a legislative body (e.g. Congress, Parliament, City Council) which is regarded as fully secure, for either a certain political party, or the incumbent representative personally or a combinat ...
for the party. After the election, he was appointed Minister for Education. For the
2014 election, Pulu was deselected by the party, and stood as an independent. The DPFI endorsed
Mateni Tapueluelu
Mateni Tapueluelu is a Tongan journalist and politician.
He has worked as a correspondent for Radio New Zealand International in Tonga, then became editor of the '' Keleʻa'', the newspaper of the pro-democracy movement and of the Democratic Party ...
, who retained the seat for the party. Tapueluelu retained the seat in 2017, but lost to independent
Tatafu Moeaki
Tatafu Toma Moeaki (born 1972) is a Tongan politician, former Cabinet Minister, and civil servant.
Moeaki joined the Tongan public service in 1995, working as head of Policy and Planning at the Ministry of Education and as Deputy Secretary for F ...
in the
2021 election.
Members of Parliament
Election results
2010
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tongatapu 4
Tongan legislative constituencies
Tongatapu
2010 establishments in Tonga
Constituencies established in 2010