King of Tonga dies - once a vaulter

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/11/world ... ref=slogin

King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV, Ruler of Tonga, Dies at 88

The New York Times
He died after a long illness, the office of Prime Minister Feleti Sevele said, Agence France-Presse reported. A statement from the palace confirmed the death, the news agency said. The king had been receiving medical treatment for an undisclosed condition in Auckland, New Zealand.

For most of his reign, the king cut a gargantuan figure. In 1976, he was reported to be the world’s heaviest king, at 460 pounds. Late in life, however, he lost almost 200 pounds through dieting and exercise.

Crown Prince Taufa’ahau Monumataongo, a graduate of Sandhurst, the British military academy, at one time indicated that he did not wish to succeed his father as king, but reports yesterday said he was expected to do so.

In Tonga’s quasi-absolute monarchy, the king appoints a 12-man cabinet for life and those members become permanent representatives in the 30-seat legislative assembly. The king’s 30 nobles choose nine additional representatives, and the electorate chooses nine more.

King Tupou had dismissed calls for democracy. “The solutions provided by majority rule are not acceptable to certain segments of the population,â€Â