Prime Minister of Tuvalu
| Prime Minister of Tuvalu | |
|---|---|
| Ulu o te Malo o Tuvalu (Tuvaluan) | |
 Coat of Arms of Tuvalu | |
| Style | The Right Honourable |
| Appointer | Elected by the members of the parliament |
| Term length | While commanding the confidence of the majority of members of parliament. No term limits are imposed on the office. |
| Inaugural holder | Toaripi Lauti |
| Formation | 1 October 1978 |
| Salary | AU$ 40,840/US$ 26,660 annually[1] |
|
|---|
 Tuvalu portal |
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The prime minister of Tuvalu is the head of government of Tuvalu. According to Tuvalu's constitution, the prime minister must always be a member of the parliament and is elected by parliament in a secret ballot. Because there are no political parties in Tuvalu, any member of parliament can be nominated for the role.
Part V, section 62 of the Constitution of Tuvalu describes the vesting of the executive authority:
- (1) The executive authority of Tuvalu is primarily vested in the Sovereign, and the Governor-General as the representative of the Sovereign.
- (2) The executive authority so vested in the Sovereign shall be exercised in accordance with section 53 (performance of functions by the Head of State).[2]
Following the parliamentary vote, the governor-general of Tuvalu is responsible for swearing in as the prime minister the person who commands the confidence of a majority of members of parliament.
Part V of the Constitution establishes the executive authority of Tuvalu and confirms that while the Prime Minister is the head of government, executive power is exercised by ministerial government, with Part V, section 67 to 69 establishing the role of the cabinet.[2]
The office of prime minister was established when Tuvalu gained independence in 1978. However, the post is sometimes considered a continuation of the earlier office of chief minister, created in 1975. If the prime minister dies, as has happened on one occasion, the deputy prime minister becomes acting prime minister until a new one is elected by parliament. The prime minister can lose his office by resigning, being defeated in a motion of no confidence by parliament, or losing his seat in a parliamentary election.
Part V, Section 63 of the Constitution of Tuvalu establishes the office of Prime Minister. Under section 64, the Prime Minister is elected by the members of parliament, with sections 64 to 67 describing what happens if the office of the Prime Minister becomes vacant, the removal from office of an incapacitated Prime Minister, the process for the suspension of the Prime Minister, and the effect of removal or suspension of the Prime Minister.[2]
Until the Second Toafa Ministry in 2010, the prime minister also had the role of foreign minister. Enele Sopoaga was the foreign minister in the short-lived Second Toafa Ministry. In subsequent ministries, foreign affairs was another minister's responsibility in the cabinet.
Several former prime ministers have been appointed the governor-general of Tuvalu.
Feleti Teo was appointed as prime minister on 26 February 2024, after he was elected unopposed by the parliament.[3]
List of prime ministers[edit]
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Election | Term of office | Ministry | Governor-General | Monarch | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||||
| Chief Minister of the Ellice Islands (1975–1978) | |||||||||
| 1 | 
|
Sir Toaripi Lauti (1928–2014) |
— | 2 October 1975 | 1 October 1978 | 2 years, 364 days | Lauti Ministry 1st Ministry |
John Hillary Smith | Queen Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister of Tuvalu (1978–present) | |||||||||
| 1 |
|
Sir Toaripi Lauti (1928–2014) |
1977 | 1 October 1978 | 8 September 1981 | 2 years, 342 days | Lauti Ministry 1st Ministry |
Sir Fiatau Penitala Teo | Queen Elizabeth II |
| 2 |
|
Tomasi Puapua (born 1938) |
1981 1985 |
8 September 1981 | 16 October 1989 | 8 years, 38 days | First Puapua Ministry Second Puapua Ministry 2nd Ministry | ||
| Sir Tupua Leupena | |||||||||
| 3 | 
|
Bikenibeu Paeniu (born 1956) |
1989 1993 (Sep) |
16 October 1989 | 10 December 1993 | 4 years, 55 days | First Paeniu Ministry 3rd Ministry | ||
| Sir Toaripi Lauti | |||||||||
| Sir Tomu Sione | |||||||||
| 4 | .jpg)
|
Sir Kamuta Latasi (born 1936) |
1993 (Nov) | 10 December 1993 | 24 December 1996 | 3 years, 14 days | Latasi Ministry 4th Ministry | ||
| Sir Tulaga Manuella | |||||||||
| (3) |
|
Bikenibeu Paeniu (born 1956) |
1993 (Nov) 1998 |
24 December 1996 | 27 April 1999 | 2 years, 124 days | Second Paeniu Ministry Third Paeniu Ministry 5th Ministry | ||
| Sir Tomasi Puapua | |||||||||
| 5 | 
|
Ionatana Ionatana (1938–2000) |
1998 | 27 April 1999 | 8 December 2000 | 1 year, 225 days | Ionatana Ministry 6th Ministry | ||
| Acting1 |
|
Lagitupu Tuilimu | — | 8 December 2000 | 24 February 2001 | 78 days | Tuilimu Ministry 6th Ministry (Cont.) | ||
| 6 | 
|
Faimalaga Luka (1940–2005) |
1998 | 24 February 2001 | 14 December 2001 | 293 days | Luka Ministry 7th Ministry | ||
| 7 |
|
Koloa Talake (1934–2008) |
1998 | 14 December 2001 | 2 August 2002 | 231 days | Talake Ministry 8th Ministry | ||
| 8 | .jpg)
|
Saufatu Sopoanga (1952–2020) |
2002 | 2 August 2002 | 27 August 2004 | 2 years, 25 days | Sopoanga Ministry 9th Ministry | ||
| Faimalaga Luka | |||||||||
| 9 | 
|
Maatia Toafa (born 1954) |
2002 | 27 August 2004 | 14 August 2006 | 1 year, 352 days | First Toafa Ministry 10th Ministry | ||
| Sir Filoimea Telito | |||||||||
| 10 | 
|
Apisai Ielemia (1955–2018) |
2006 | 14 August 2006 | 29 September 2010 | 4 years, 46 days | Ielemia Ministry 11th Ministry | ||
| Sir Kamuta Latasi | |||||||||
| Sir Iakoba Italeli | |||||||||
| (9) |
|
Maatia Toafa (born 1954) |
2010 | 29 September 2010 | 24 December 2010 | 86 days | Second Toafa Ministry 12th Ministry | ||
| 11 | 
|
Willy Telavi (born 1954) |
2010 | 24 December 2010 | 1 August 2013 | 2 years, 220 days | Telavi Ministry 13th Ministry | ||
| 12 | 
|
Enele Sopoaga (born 1956) |
2010 2015 |
1 August 2013 | 19 September 2019 | 6 years, 49 days | Sopoaga Ministry 14th Ministry | ||
| 13 | 
|
Kausea Natano (born 1957) |
2019 | 19 September 2019 | 26 February 2024 | 4 years, 160 days | Natano Ministry 15th Ministry | ||
| Mrs. Teniku Talesi, Samuelu Teo | |||||||||
| 14 | 
|
Feleti Teo (born 1962) |
2024 | 26 February 2024 | Incumbent | 5 days | Teo Ministry 16th Ministry | ||
| Sir Tofiga Vaevalu Falani | King Charles III | ||||||||
Notes
- ^ Tuilimu served as acting prime minister following the death of Ionatana.[4][5]
- ^ Sir Iakoba Italeli resigned as Governor-General on 22 August 2019 to contest a seat in parliament in the 2019 general election.[6]
- ^ King Charles III acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022 during the term of prime minister Kausea Natano.
References[edit]
- ^ Tuvalu. "Prescription of Salaries (Amendment) Act 2020" (PDF). tuvalu-legislation.tv.
- ^ a b c "Constitution of Tuvalu" (PDF). Government of Tuvalu. October 1, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ Needham, Kirsty (February 26, 2024). "Taiwan ally Tuvalu names Feleti Teo as new prime minister". Reuters. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
- ^ "Tuvalu: Year In Review 2001". Britannica. 2001. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
- ^ Lansford, Tom (2015). Political Handbook of the World 2015. CQ Press.
- ^ Tahana, Jamie (September 10, 2019). "Tuvalu elections: large turnover for new parliament". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
