The Kingdom of Tonga is a constitutional monarchy made up of 170 islands. The unicameral Legislative Assembly has 32 seats, of which 14 are Cabinet members, 9 are nobles selected by the country's 33 nobles and 9 are elected by popular vote. An election in March 2005 was deemed generally free and fair. The King appoints the 14-member Cabinet, of whom 10 are members for life and 4 are selected from the elected members of the Legislative Assembly. The King appoints the Speaker of the Assembly from among the noble members of the Cabinet.

The Prince, who served as Prime Minister, resigned his position and portfolios early in 2006 when Tongan politics were experiencing pro-democracy initiatives. The King then appointed the first commoner Prime Minister. Nobles and commoners serve at the King's pleasure. In 2006 the political situation was complicated by the death of the long-reigning King. When the new monarch did not institute democratic changes, rioting broke out in the capital, where government buildings, offices and shops were looted and burned and 8 people died.

Agreement has now been reached that elections will be held in 2008 and that a majority of the Legislative Assembly will be elected by popular vote. The Prime Minister has introduced major changes, and the country's first official political party, the People's Democratic Party, was registered in 2006. A petition to the Privy Council called for the resignation of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet members. The Privy Council rejected petitions to update the constitution to include a fully elected Legislative Assembly.

The King and members of the Assembly commissioned a committee to ask citizens around the nation and abroad for recommendations on necessary political changes. 1 woman serves in the Legislative Assembly. A woman may become Queen but cannot inherit other noble titles or become a Chief. There is no minority participation in government.

The judiciary is independent in law and in practice. The royal family and the nobility have special status in law. Corruption is reported in government and in the police force.

Freedom of speech and of the press are guaranteed but instances of interference by the royal family are cited. Access to the Internet is not restricted. Public access to government information is not provided for, and access is a problem.

Discrimination against homosexuals is reported.

Education is compulsory for ages 6 to 14 and is available for all children through high school. A high enrolment rate in primary school drops sharply in secondary school.

A 3-year programme begins at age 3. At this level 59% of education is private. The Net Enrolment Rate (NER) is 2%.

Primary school begins at age 5 and lasts 6 years. At this level 9% of education is private. The NER is 93% (47% female). 5% of students repeat grades. There are 843 primary teachers (63% female). The PTR is 20 : 1.

Secondary education begins at age 11 and lasts 6 years. 3% of students in lower secondary and 18% in upper secondary education study in technical vocational programmes. The NER is 68%. 11% of students repeat grades. There are 1,012 secondary teachers (52% female). The PTR is 14 : 1 in secondary school.

688 students (60% female) study in tertiary institutions, for a Gross Enrolment Rate of 6%. At the same time, 394 students from Tonga are studying abroad, mainly in New Zealand (152), the USA (111), Australia (58), Japan (27) and Papua New Guinea (23).

The Tonga Red Cross Society operates a school for children with disabilities. Discrimination is reported in education and in other government services. The education of children with special needs is reported to be a longstanding priority of the Queen. Services for persons with disabilities are not mandated.

The law does not provide for the granting of asylum or refugee status in accordance with the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, and the government has not established a system for providing protection to refugees. No one has recently applied for refugee status.

Only citizens can own food retail stores. The retail sector is increasingly dominated by Chinese nationals, and reports indicate discrimination directed at the Chinese minority.

The constitution provides for academic freedom, but criticism of the King, the royal family or the government is not tolerated. Proposed changes to the constitution will further curb freedom of expression. Tonga is one of 12 countries which own the University of the South Pacific. The University's Senate is recognised as the authority responsible for teaching and research.

Women hold significant government positions through connections to nobility. Legislation dealing with inheritance of land discriminates against women, who can lease but not own land. A claim to a father's estate by a male child takes precedence over the claim of the widow or a daughter. If there are no male relatives a widow is entitled to remain on her husband's land as long as she does not remarry. Sexual harassment is not a crime. Domestic violence is reported as being very common. It can be prosecuted, but prosecutions are rare to avoid stigma.

Legislation does not prohibit child labour, but child labour does not exist in the wage economy, only in the informal sector.

Workers have the right to form and join trade unions, but until regulations are promulgated on the formation of unions there cannot be any official unions. The Friendly Islands Teachers Association and the Tonga Nurses Association function under the Incorporated Societies Act and do not have collective bargaining rights. The Public Servants Association acts as a union, and a 6-week, nationwide civil service strike for a wage increase took place in 2005. The strike was resolved through bargaining despite the fact that regulations to implement collective bargaining have not been promulgated. Labour laws apply in the 2 export processing zones.

Forced or compulsory labour is prohibited and is not reported to exist. No minimum wage has been established, but guidelines for wage levels are provided. The Asian Development Bank reports that workers in 23% of communities earn less than US$15 (T$29) a week, which does not provide a decent standard of living for a worker and family. The work week is limited to 40 hours.