Two senior MPs from Tonga's Democratic party have announced they will be standing as independents in November's elections.
'Isileli Pulu and Falisi Tupou, who both expected to be the party's candidates, have joined four other members of a group running separately.
The other four were not named in the party's orginal official candidate list.
Mr Pulu says he admires the leader of the democratic movement, Akilisi Pohiva, but he disagrees with how candidates were selected.
"Pohiva, what he's been doing in the last two decades, that's why we end up here. Even for myself, I was first elected because of Pohiva, so we respect that. But as you know, no one is perfect and sometimes we make honest mistakes and all that."
The independents remain members of the party but Mr Pulu says decisions will have to be made collectively after the election.
The National Shield of Tonga Photo: RNZI
