Tonga’s Prime Minister Akilisi Pohiva has died at the age of 78, ABC News of Australia reported.

Pohiva was medically evacuated from the capital city, Nuku’alofa, Wednesday afternoon to a hospital in Auckland, New Zealand.

He died at 10am (Tongan time) at the Auckland City Hospital, an advisor to the Prime Minister said in a statement.

Pohiva had been suffering from pneumonia for two weeks, a statement from Tonga’s government said.

He had served as Tonga’s Prime Minister since 2014, and was the country’s longest serving member of Parliament, coming into office in 1987.

Before becoming a member of parliament, Akilisi Pohiva taught history and sociology at a university.