NUKU'ALOFA, Tonga — Tonga's last election ahead of political reforms to bring more democracy to the South Pacific's last feudal kingdom will see 71 candidates vying tomorrow for just nine seats in the nation's 32-member parliament.

Already, some of the nine elected lawmakers in parliament are calling for regional powers Australia and New Zealand to put more pressure on Tonga to introduce political change next year, instead of delaying until 2010.

Tonga remains under emergency controls imposed after rioting in 2006 that was sparked by delays in the political reform process.

Eight people died in the rioting, which began with an attack on government offices and saw much of the central area of the capital, Nuku'alofa, burnt to the ground. It has not yet been rebuilt.

Pro-democracy lawmaker Clive Edwards said the emergency controls are a government device to intimidate political opponents.

Protests are banned and police have extended powers to enter residences. But an earlier ban on political meetings has been lifted.

The government has not detailed its arguments for continuing the state of emergency but earlier said that threats to security were posed by "elements" within the pro-democracy movement.

Currently, the parliament consists of 14 ministers appointed by the king, nine nobles elected by the kingdom's noble families and nine commoners elected by some 67,000 voters.

Pro-democracy reformists held seven of the nine commoner posts in the last parliament.

The nine noble representatives will be chosen from among the kingdom's 33 nobles at a meeting at the king's palace today.

Results of the commoner vote are expected to be announced on Friday.

Under a reform plan proposed for 2010, 17 lawmakers will be elected by commoner voters, nine will be elected by noble families and four appointed by King George Tupou V.

Elected lawmaker and longtime democracy campaigner Akilisi Pohiva said the "major shortfall" of the current Tongan parliament is that "people are not given the right to have a say in running the government."

Pohiva is among pro-democracy legislators calling for major political change by next year.

Observers expect that the current prime minister, Feleti "Fred" Sevele, the first elected commoner lawmaker appointed to the post, will retain his job under the reform-minded King George.

Speaking after the 2006 rioting, King George said he expected "a more democratic form of parliament and government" to emerge from reform proposals being discussed in the kingdom.

The South Pacific island nation's richest man, he has pledged to sell his extensive stakes in commercial holdings in the kingdom as part of the reform.

The island nation of 108,000 people halfway between New Zealand and Hawai'i depends on agriculture, fishing, remittances from Tongans abroad and foreign aid to support its people.

According to the World Bank, half of them live below the poverty line.