Taufa'ahau Tupou IV

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Taufa'ahau Tupou IV (born July 4, 1918) has been the King of Tonga since the death of his mother Salote Tupou III in 1965. As Crown Prince he was known as Siaosi Taufa'ahau Tupoulahi. His consort is Queen Halaevalu Mata'aho, born in 1926. The couple have four children: Crown Prince Sia'osi Taufa'ahau Manumata'ogo Tuku'aho Tupou, Princess Pilolevu, Prince Ma'atu (deceased 2004), and Prince Lavaka Ata 'Ulukalala.

A keen sportsman and religious preacher in his youth, he studied law in Australia and was appointed Minister of Education by Queen Salote in 1943, Minister of Health in 1944, and in 1949, Premier. He remains a lay preacher of the Free Wesleyan Church, and in some circumstances is empowered to appoint an acting church president.

He wields great political authority and influence in Tonga's essentially aristocratic system of government, together with the country's nobles, who control 70% of the Legislative Assembly of Tonga. However, his involvement in an investment scandal involving his appointed court jester Jesse Bogdonoff has in recent years embroiled the King in controversy, and led to calls for greater government transparency and democratisation. In 2005 the government spent several weeks negotiating with striking civil service workers before reaching a settlement. A constitutional commission is currently (2005-06) studying proposals to update the constitution.

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