Siaosi Sovaleni
Siaosi ‘Ofakivahafolau Sovaleni is a Tongan politician, Cabinet Minister, and Member of the Legislative Assembly of Tonga. From 2014 to 2017 he was Deputy Prime Minister of Tonga.
Sovaleni is from Ngele'ia on Tongatapu. He was educated at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in computer science in 1992. He subsequently completed a Masters degree at the University of Oxford, and an MBA at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji. He worked as a public servant for Tonga's Ministry of Finance from 1996 to 2010, beforeworking for the Pacific Community and Asian Development Bank. He returned to Tonga in 2013 to work as the Chief Executive in the Ministry of Public Enterprises.
Sovaleni was first elected to Parliament at the 2014 Tongan general election, and appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Environment and Communications in the Cabinet of ʻAkilisi Pōhiva. As Communications Minister, he pushed through two bills allowing for internet censorship in 2015.
In September 2017 he was sacked for disloyalty for supporting King Tupou VI's decision to sack the Prime Minister, dissolve Parliament and call new elections. He ran in the 2017 Tongan general election and was re-elected as the only non-DPFI MP on Tongatapu. He subsequently contested the Premiership with Pohiva, but was defeated by 12 votes to 14.
Following the death of ʻAkilisi Pōhiva Sovaleni supported Pohiva Tuʻiʻonetoa for Prime Minister. He was appointed to Tuʻiʻonetoa's Cabinet as Minister for Education and Training.
