The Legislative Assembly’s only female Member of Parliament Hon. ‘Akosita Lavulavu was sworn in this morning.
32 year old Akosita Lavulavu was sworn in as the new parliamentarian of Vava’u 16 constituency.
Mrs Lavulavu won Vava’u 16 consituency by-election with 754 votes which was held last month defeating other candidates including former MP Viliami Latu, ‘Atalasa Pouvalu and ‘Ipeni Siale.
Speaking with Parliament news this morning, the former Tonga High School ex-student says she is happy and confident to carry out her duty as a parliamentarian.
“I am pretty excited and confident to start this new job knowing I have the support of my constituency,” says Mrs. Lavulavu
Asked how she feels she is the only female MP in the current sitting of Parliament, Mrs. Lavulavu says she is not afraid to face the challenge in politics.
“Whether you are male or female MP, I am confident to perform my duties focusing on helping my electorates and the people in general,” explains Mrs. Lavulavu
Meanwhile the Speaker of Parliament, Lord Tu’ivakano warmly welcomes the new MP and congratulating her on becoming the only female parliamentarian to represent the women’s concerns and interests in Parliament.
Akosita Lavulavu replaces her husband ‘Etuate Lavulavu the former Tourism and Infrastructure Minister.
Prior to becoming a politician, the ex-student of Tonga High School was the former principal of ‘Unuaki ‘o Tonga Royal Institute.
She holds a Bachelor in Information System from Brigham Young University (BYU), Hawaii in 2007 and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of the South Pacific (USP) in 2012.