| 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$ 26,660/US$ 17,892 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. 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.
The office of prime minister was established when Tuvalu gained independence in 1978, although the post is sometimes considered to be a continuation of the earlier office of chief minister, which was 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.
Several former prime ministers have been appointed the governor-general of Tuvalu.
Kausea Natano is the incumbent prime minister, since 19 September 2019.
List of prime ministers
| 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 | |||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||
| 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 | |
| 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.webp) |
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.webp) |
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 | ||
| Mrs. Teniku Talesi Honolulu, Samuelu Teo, Sir Tofiga Vaevalu Falani | |||||||||
| 13 |  |
Kausea Natano (born 1957) |
2019 | 19 September 2019 | Incumbent | 4 years, 111 days | Natano Ministry 15th Ministry |
King Charles III | |
Notes
See also
References
- ↑ Tuvalu. "PRESCRIPTION OF SALARIES ACT, 2008 Revised Edition" (PDF). tuvalu-legislation.tv.
- ↑ "Tuvalu: Year In Review 2001". Britannica. 2001. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
- ↑ Lansford, Tom (2015). Political Handbook of the World 2015. CQ Press.