5. Is there a ban on donations from Trade Unions to political parties?

The 14 independent candidates elected at the November 2017 Tongan national election belong to the registered organisation known as the Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands.  However, no legislation yet exists for the registration and regulation of poltical parties or their finances. The Report of the Commonwealth Election Observers Group on the 2017 election recommended that" Should poltical parties become formalised, their campaign  expenditure should also be regulated". The Report also recognised the lack of any provisions to track donations for election campaigns. 

Source: Tonga Global Integrity Report 2008; Inter-parliamentary Union Parline database; Report of the Commonwealth  Observer Group, Kingdom of Tonga National Parliamentary Election,16th November, 2017. 

 The issue is premature in the present stage of political development in Tonga which does not have a formal system of poltical parties.