Tonga is a constitutional monarchy in which an elected government manages day-to-day national policy while the monarch serves as head of state. Fatafehi Fakafānua serves as Prime Minister of Tonga and leads the government within the country's parliamentary and constitutional framework.
Tonga is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. A hereditary monarch serves as head of state, while political executive power is exercised by a prime minister and cabinet drawn from or supported by the elected legislature. The monarch's duties are largely constitutional and ceremonial, although the formal powers of the crown vary according to national law and convention.
Legislative authority is exercised through a unicameral national parliament or assembly. It passes legislation, approves the budget, and performs the oversight and appointment functions assigned to it by the constitution. The judiciary is formally separate from the political branches, with the highest courts responsible for interpreting law and, where the constitutional system provides for it, reviewing constitutional questions.
Tonga is a unitary state, meaning sovereign authority is principally vested in national institutions, although local and regional governments exercise powers assigned by law. The constitution defines the relationship among the executive, legislature, judiciary, and subnational administration. Political authority is exercised through the constitutional institutions described above, with elections, parliamentary confidence, or other constitutional procedures determining who holds office.
