Prime Minister of Tuvalu facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Prime Minister of Tuvalu |
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State Flag of Tuvalu
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Coat of Arms of Tuvalu
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| 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 |
The prime minister of Tuvalu is the main leader of the country's government. Think of them as the head of the team that runs Tuvalu. They are always a member of the parliament. The parliament members choose the prime minister in a secret ballot, which means their vote is private. In Tuvalu, there are no political parties, so any member of parliament can be chosen for this important job.
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What the Prime Minister Does
The prime minister is the head of government in Tuvalu. This means they lead the Cabinet, which is a group of ministers who help run the country. The Governor-General of Tuvalu officially swears in the person chosen by parliament as prime minister.
The job of prime minister started when Tuvalu became an independent country in 1978. Before that, there was a similar role called chief minister, which began in 1975.
How a Prime Minister Can Leave Office
A prime minister can leave their job in a few ways:
- They can choose to resign (step down).
- Parliament can vote them out using a "motion of no confidence." This means most parliament members no longer trust them to lead.
- They might lose their seat in a parliamentary election.
- If a prime minister dies, the deputy prime minister takes over temporarily. A new prime minister is then elected by parliament.
For a while, the prime minister also handled foreign affairs. But now, another minister in the Cabinet is usually in charge of foreign relations. Some former prime ministers have later become the Governor-General of Tuvalu.
Feleti Teo became the prime minister on 26 February 2024. He was chosen by the parliament without anyone else running against him.
List of Tuvalu's Prime Ministers
Toaripi Lauti was the Chief Minister of the Ellice Islands from 1975 to 1978. When Tuvalu became independent, he became its first prime minister.
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Election | Term of office | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ministry | Governor-General | Monarch | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| Sir Tomasi Puapua | ||||||||||||
| 5 |  |
Ionatana Ionatana (1938–2000) |
1998 | 27 April 1999 | 8 December 2000 | 1 year, 225 days | Ionatana Ministry 6th Ministry |
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| Acting | |
Lagitupu Tuilimu | — | 8 December 2000 | 24 February 2001 | 78 days | Tuilimu Ministry 6th Ministry (Cont.) |
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| 6 |  |
Faimalaga Luka (1940–2005) |
1998 | 24 February 2001 | 14 December 2001 | 293 days | Luka Ministry 7th Ministry |
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| 7 | |
Koloa Talake (1934–2008) |
1998 | 14 December 2001 | 2 August 2002 | 231 days | Talake Ministry 8th Ministry |
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| 8 | .jpg) |
Saufatu Sopoanga (1952–2020) |
2002 | 2 August 2002 | 27 August 2004 | 2 years, 25 days | Sopoanga Ministry 9th Ministry |
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| Faimalaga Luka | ||||||||||||
| 9 |  |
Maatia Toafa (born 1954) |
2002 | 27 August 2004 | 14 August 2006 | 1 year, 352 days | First Toafa Ministry 10th Ministry |
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| Sir Filoimea Telito | ||||||||||||
| 10 |  |
Apisai Ielemia (1955–2018) |
2006 | 14 August 2006 | 29 September 2010 | 4 years, 46 days | Ielemia Ministry 11th Ministry |
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| 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 |
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| 11 |  |
Willy Telavi (born 1954) |
2010 | 24 December 2010 | 1 August 2013 | 2 years, 220 days | Telavi Ministry 13th Ministry |
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| 12 |  |
Enele Sopoaga (born 1956) |
2010 2015 |
1 August 2013 | 19 September 2019 | 6 years, 49 days | Sopoaga Ministry 14th Ministry |
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| 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 |
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| 14 |  |
Feleti Teo (born 1962) |
2024 | 26 February 2024 | Incumbent | 1 year, 114 days | Teo Ministry 16th Ministry |
Sir Tofiga Vaevalu Falani | King Charles III | |||
Notes
- Tuilimu was acting prime minister after Ionatana passed away.
- Sir Iakoba Italeli stopped being Governor-General on 22 August 2019 to run for a seat in parliament in the 2019 general election.
- Sir Tofiga Vaevalu Falani became Governor-General on 29 September 2021, while Kausea Natano was prime minister.
- King Charles III became the King on 8 September 2022, during Kausea Natano's time as prime minister.
See also
In Spanish: Primer ministro de Tuvalu para niños
