José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero tricentenary of British rule and rejected the Gibraltarians' requests for Spain to recognise their right to self-determination, at the end of 2004 his policy changed and he became the first Spanish prime minister to accept the participation of Gibraltar as a partner on the same level as Spain and the United Kingdom in discussions both countries hold regularly concerning the territory. The decision was criticized by many in Spain as a surrender of their claim to sovereignty over Gibraltar as well as an alleged disruption of the Treaty of Utrecht. Zapatero said it was a new way to solve a
Prime Minister of Tonga Prime Minister of Tonga The Prime Minister (until 1970, Premier) of Tonga heads the government of the Kingdom of Tonga ("His Majesty's government"), while the King is the official head of the executive power. The office of Prime Minister was established by the Constitution of 1875, whose article 51 stipulates that the Prime Minister and other ministers are appointed and dismissed by the King. During the 2000s, the country experienced an increase in democratization. In March 2006, King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV appointed Dr. Feleti Sevele, a moderate member of the Human Rights and Democracy Movement, as Prime Minister. Sevele was