Feleti Sevele

Infobox Prime Minister
name = Feleti Vakaokinauta Sevele
honorific-suffix =
BS BA MA PhD


order = Prime Minister of Tonga
monarch = Taufa'ahau Tupou IV
George Tupou V
deputy =
term_start = 30 March 2006
term_end =
predecessor = 'Aho'eitu 'Unuaki'otonga Tuku'aho
successor =
birth_date = 1945
birth_place =
party = Independent
spouse = Ainise Sevele

Feleti Vakaokinauta Sevele (born c. 1945) is the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Tonga.

He began his high school education at Apifookinaou College in Tonga, then went to school in Fiji at St John's College in Levuka on the island of Ovalau, and the Marist Brothers High School in Suva. He then attended St Bede's College in Christchurch, New Zealand, before going to the University of Canterbury where he graduated with a BSc in Math, a BA, an MA and a PhD in Economic Geography.

He was elected as one of nine People's Representatives to the Legislative Assembly or "Fale Alea" in 1999 and re-elected in 2002 and in 2005. He was appointed Minister for Labour, Commerce and Industries. As Minister he negotiated Tonga's becoming a member of the World Trade Organization in December 2005. In early 2006 he presented an Employment Relations Bill to Cabinet, based on the Fijian Bill of the same name, as a response to the public service strike of 2005.

Prime Minister

He was appointed to the Prime Minister's position after the sudden resignation of on February 11, 2006. His coming to this appointment was six months after a series of pro-democracy protests that called for a lesser role in government for the royal family. Sevele's role was made permanent by King Tāufaokinaāhau Tupou IV, when he appointed Dr Sevele as the first citizen Prime Minister of Tonga on 30 March 2006. Sevele is the country's first non-noble Prime Minister.

On September 19 2007, he was received by Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in Malacañang. He attended the Asian Development Bank's "Mobilizing Aid for Trade" conference (September 18 to 20). [ [http://www.gmanews.tv/story/61086/Arroyo-to-host-lunch-for-Tonga-PM GMA NEWS.TV, Arroyo to host lunch for Tonga PM] ]

Following the resignation of Finance Minister Siosiua 'Utoikamanu, Sevele temporarily took over his portfolio on February 26 2008 [ [http://www.matangitonga.to/article/tonganews/government/pm_finance_260208.shtml "PM heads Finance Ministry"] , Matangi Tonga Online, February 26, 2008.] until 'Otenifi Afu'alo Matoto was appointed as Finance Minister on March 20. [ [http://www.matangitonga.to/article/king_200308_1757_pf.shtml "King appoints new Finance Minister"] , Matangi Tonga Online, March 20, 2008.]

References

External links

* [http://www.pacificislands.cc/pina/pinadefault2.php?urlpinaid=20227 Pacific Magazine]
* [http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3535990a12,00.html Stuff]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4708474.stm BBC News]
* [http://www.matangitonga.to/article/tonganews/government/Tonga_primeminister310306.shtml Matangi Tonga]
* [http://tongaconsul.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=37&Itemid=2 Photos of Prime Minister Sevele's trip to Los Angeles and Honolulu November 2007]