The roads are jammed with cars. Today is one of the election days here in The Kingdom. Here is my understanding of what is happening.
There are about 67,000 commoners registered to vote for 9 members of parliament. These will be the peoples reps.
Although there are no defined political parties, (parties are illegal), there is a pro-democracy group and a couple other groups.
Yesterday the 29 Nobles elected 9 Nobles members of parliament. All 9 must be selected from the 29 nobles.
There are a total of 34 members of parliament and a bunch of ministers. They are all selected directly by the King.
So 9 out 34 are elected by the people. All of the ministers are appointed by The King. Are we clear?
The government has cracked down hard on the press here. No real open political discussions. Definitely no rallies, no debates etc.
Everyone here can tell you anything about Obama of Clinton, but what is happening locally is a bit of a mystery.
Oh - and each ballot is coded with a number identifying the voter. My Tongan colleagues are shocked that voting in the US uses secret ballots.
The Economist has a good review of the election on their website.
Takes a bit of getting used to...
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2 comments:
Enjoyed the article in The Economist. Glad you have a "new" home. Stan's Mom, Myra
Hi there friend! I am a blog reader from the Philippines. I am happy to found your interesting site. It is really worth visiting.
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