Commentary:Voters Reject PTOA as a New Political Era Emerges
Tonga’s 2025 election has swept the PTOA out of Parliament for the first time, signalling a decisive shift in public sentiment and opening the way for a more stable and cooperative era in national politics.
The 2025 election delivered a verdict that reshapes Tonga’s political map: the PTOA, once the dominant engine of the democratic movement, has been completely erased from Parliament. For a party that built its identity on challenging entrenched power, the symbolism of its collapse is unavoidable. What was once a national movement has shrunk into a fractured organisation that no longer holds the confidence of the electorate it claimed to represent.
At the same time, public sentiment is shifting towards a more stable and cooperative political environment. There is growing support for a working relationship between elected representatives, the King and the Nobles, with the aim of running a government capable of dealing with long-neglected national priorities. Voters are signalling that they want progress on development, the economy and the practical business of governing, not further political confrontation.
The collapse of PTOA reflects more than voter fatigue. It represents a clear rejection of the party’s recent direction, which was marked by internal disputes, factionalism and a leadership circle increasingly confined to the Pohiva family. As the election approached, almost all senior non-family figures walked away from the movement. These departures were public and often pointed, creating the impression that the party had ceased to function as a broad-based political organisation.
What remained was a leadership ticket dominated by the founder’s sons, Siaosi Pohiva and Akilisi Pohiva Jr, accompanied by new entrant Matani Nifofa. Their combined failure to win seats did not surprise those who had watched support for the party decline over the past three years.
Former supporters speak of a political culture that became intolerant of disagreement and unwelcoming to experienced voices. Public disputes within the movement created further damage. Allegations of corruption, whether proven or not, added to the belief that the PTOA no longer practised the standards of accountability it once demanded from others.
The electorate responded decisively. Tonga has turned away from politics built on division and from parties that rely on personal loyalty, grievance or confrontational tactics. In this new environment, association with the PTOA became a political disadvantage.
The democratic movement in Tonga will continue, but without the party that once defined it. The next phase will demand political leadership that can demonstrate competence, credibility and the ability to govern in a constructive and inclusive manner. The fall of the PTOA ends an era in Tongan politics. It also creates an open space that others will now seek to fill, and the choices made in that space will influence the direction of the country for many years.
Tevita Motulalo
