General Fono Fono Fakamua | |
---|---|
Type | |
Type | |
Leadership | |
Charles III since 8 September 2022 | |
Don Higgins since 2022 | |
Seats | 20 |
Elections | |
Last election | 26 January 2023 |
|
The General Fono (Tokelauan : Fono Fakamua) is the parliament of Tokelau. It has 20 members (15 before 2008), representing the 3 atolls. Elections are held every three years.
Tokelau is a de facto non-partisan democracy since both village and Fono elections are made without political parties. [3]
Position | Atafu members | Fakaofo members | Nukunonu members |
---|---|---|---|
Faipule | Kelihiano Kalolo | Fofo Tuisano | Alipate Tavite |
Pulenuku | Nogo Iupati | Otinielu Tuumuli | Petelo Patelesio |
Taupulega Representatives (Village elders) | Lepaio Lua | Kaio Isaako | Falaniko Aloisio |
Tiu Faō | Tuutuuvae Sefo Ateri | Salesio Lui | |
Tulano Toloa | Taupati Peleni | ||
Taulelea Representatives (Men's group) | Tepapa Tom Toma | Palelei Famatala Sili | Savelio Tumua |
Fafine Representatives (Women's group) | Latu Kuresa | Malia Sugalu Puē | Lupe Josephine Lui |
Source: Radio New Zealand |
Politics of Samoa takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic state whereby the Prime Minister of Samoa is the head of government. Existing alongside the country's Western-styled political system is the fa'amatai chiefly system of socio-political governance and organisation, central to understanding Samoa's political system.
Tokelau is a dependent territory of New Zealand in the southern Pacific Ocean. It consists of three tropical coral atolls: Atafu, Nukunonu, and Fakaofo. They have a combined land area of 10 km2 (4 sq mi). The capital rotates yearly among the three atolls. In addition to these three, Swains Island, which forms part of the same archipelago, is the subject of an ongoing territorial dispute; it is currently administered by the United States as part of American Samoa. Tokelau lies north of the Samoan Islands, east of Tuvalu, south of the Phoenix Islands, southwest of the more distant Line Islands, and northwest of the Cook Islands.
Atafu, formerly known as the Duke of York Group, is a group of 52 coral islets within Tokelau in the south Pacific Ocean, 500 kilometres north of Samoa. With a land area of 2.5 square kilometres, it is the smallest of the three islands that constitute Tokelau. It is an atoll and surrounds a central lagoon, which covers some 15 km2 (5.8 sq mi). The atoll lies 800 kilometres south of the equator at 8° 35' South, 172° 30' West.
The politics of Tokelau takes place within a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic dependency. The head of state of Tokelau is King Charles III in right of his Realm of New Zealand, who is represented by an Administrator. The monarch is hereditary, the Administrator is appointed by the New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The office of head of government of Tokelau, often simply called the Ulu, rotates yearly between the faipule (leaders) of Tokelau's three atolls: Atafu, Fakaofo, and Nukunonu. The current Ulu is Kelihiano Kalolo, the Faipule of Atafu atoll, who has held the position since 6 March 2023.
The Administrator of Tokelau is an official of the New Zealand Government, responsible for supervising the government of the dependent territory of Tokelau.
Tokelau, a dependent territory of New Zealand, adopted an official flag in 2009. Previously, the flag of New Zealand was used as the official flag for Tokelau.
Kuresa Nasau is a Tokelauan politician who has served as head of government five times and as faipule of Atafu.
A referendum on self-determination was held in Tokelau on 20 October and on 22–24 October 2007, with the result being that self-governance was rejected. Had it been successful, the referendum would have changed Tokelau's status from an unincorporated New Zealand territory to a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand, akin to the Cook Islands and Niue. However, the referendum required a two-thirds positive vote to pass, and the "yes" side fell short of the required total by 16 votes.
Parliamentary elections were held in Tokelau on 17 January, 18 January and 19 January 2008 to elect the 20 members of the General Fono. The elections saw Kolouei O'Brien replaced as faipule of Fakaofo by Foua Toloa.
SusugaLa'aulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Fosi Schmidt is a Samoan politician, businessman, Cabinet Minister, and former speaker and deputy speaker of the Samoan Parliament. He is the Member of Parliament for the Gagaifomauga No. 3 constituency and is the founder and chairman of the Fa'atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (F.A.S.T.) party.
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Foua Toloa was a Tokelauan politician who served as the Head of the Government of Tokelau, or Ulu, from 21 February 2009, to 21 February 2010. He was a member of the Council for the Ongoing Government of Tokelau, and was a faipule on Fakaofo. As the office of Ulu rotates on an annual basis, Toloa resumed office on 21 February 2011. For a time in 2011-2012, he was also Tokelau's minister for Finance, Telecommunication, Energy and Transport. He died in California in 2015.
Tinielu Tuumuli is a politician from Tokelau. He has been a member of the Council for the Ongoing Government of Tokelau as the pulenuku of Fakaofo since the 2023 election, as well as previously between 2008 and 2013.
Lino Isaia is a politician from Tokelau. As of 2008, he was a member of the Council for the Ongoing Government of Tokelau as the pulenuku of Nukunonu.
Aliki Kelihiano Kalolo is a Tokelauan politician who currently serves as Head of the Government of Tokelau, or Ulu since 13 March 2013. He previously served in the same position from February 2012 to March 2013, again from 12 March 2019 to 9 March 2020, and again from 8 March 2021. He is a member of the Council for the Ongoing Government of Tokelau, serving as Minister for Foreign Affairs, Education, Economic Development, Natural Resources and the Environment, prior to and then simultaneously to his leadership of the government. The office of Ulu rotates on an annual basis between the faipule of each of the country's three atolls; Kalolo, as faipule of Atafu, took office as Ulu for the first time in 2012.
Political funding in New Zealand deals with political donations, public funding and other forms of funding received by politician or political party in New Zealand to pay for an election campaign. Only quite recently has political funding become an issue of public policy. Now there is direct and indirect funding by public money as well as a skeleton regulation of income, expenditure and transparency.
Siopili Perez is a Tokelauan politician. He served as the Head of Government of Tokelau from 23 February 2015 to 8 March 2016, from 6 March 2017 to 5 March 2018 and from 19 May 2022 until 6 March 2023.
A fatupaepae is a matriarchal senior figure in the culture of Tokelau. Fatupaepae groups are village-level women's organizations in Tokelau, with one such group in each atoll of the island territory: Atafu, Nukunonu, and Fakafo.
General elections were held in Tokelau on 26 January 2023.