Tonga has elected an all-male parliament, with nine new faces coming in via the 17 People's Representative seats, and three among the nobles.

The Prime Minister Pohiva Tu'ionetoa retained his Tongatapu 10 constituency, as one of only five current Cabinet ministers returned.

Preliminary results were announced just before 11pm Thursday.

Matangi Tonga reports it resulted in several minutes of tooting car horns and foreworks on the seafront, but ended at midnight when the covid curfew kicked in.

Major losses for the PATOA Party included Siaosi Pohiva, Semisi Sika, Mateni Tapueluelu, Moale Finau and Losaline Ma'asi. Siasosi and Mateni are the son and son-in-law of the late 'Akilisi Pohiva.

There were five re-elected cabinet ministers, including the Prime Minister Pohiva Tu'i'onetoa, and ministers Poasi Tei, Siaosi Sovaleni, Samiu Vaipulu, and Tatafu Moeaki.

The Registrar of Elections will release the official results after any calls for recounts.

Earlier yesterday the results of the vote among Tonga's nobles were announced with three new MPs in that section.

Lord Vaea returns to parliament after being voted out in 2014 and Lord Tu'ivakanō, who was prime minister in the first government after the reforms, is also back.

The new noble MPs again are Lord Vaea, Lord Fohe and Prince Fotofili.

Our correspondent in Tonga, Kalafi Moala, says having three new MPs among the nobles does not indicate much politically as two out of the three new seats were held by MPs that have been out of the country for medical reasons.