Natano Ministry | |
---|---|
15th Cabinet of Tuvalu | |
Date formed | 20 September 2019 |
People and organisations | |
Head of state | Queen Elizabeth II (20 September 2019 – 8 September 2022) King Charles III (8 September 2022 – present) (represented by the Rev. Sir Tofiga Vaevalu Falani) |
Head of government | Kausea Natano |
Deputy head of government | Minute Alapati Taupo (20 September 2019 – 23 May 2022); Kitiona Tausi (from July 2022 to February 2024) |
Member party | Independent |
Opposition leader | None |
History | |
Election(s) | 2019 Tuvaluan general election |
Predecessor | Sopoaga Ministry |
Successor | Teo Ministry |
The Natano Ministry was the 15th ministry of the Government of Tuvalu, led by Prime Minister Kausea Natano. It succeeded the Sopoaga Ministry upon its swearing in by the acting Governor-General, Mrs. Teniku Talesi Honolulu, on 18 September 2019. [1] [2]
Natano served as a Minister for Public Utilities and Industries in the Ielemia Ministry (2006-2010); and he was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Communications, Transport and Public Utilities in the Telavi Ministry (2010–2013).
Mrs. Teniku Talesi Honolulu, the acting Governor-General of Tuvalu convened the Parliament of Tuvalu to meet on 19 September 2019, at which Kausea Natano was elected as Prime Minister of Tuvalu. [2] Natano appointed the members of the Cabinet, [3] [4] which met for the first time on 20 September 2019. [5]
Portfolio | Minister | Constituency | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Prime Minister | Kausea Natano | Funafuti | |
Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Fisheries & Trade | Minute Alapati Taupo [3] [4] [5] | Nanumaga | Died 23 May 2022. [6] |
Kitiona Tausi | Nanumaga | Elected in the by-election held on 15 July 2022 and then appointed to the cabinet. [7] [8] | |
Minister for Justice, Communication & Foreign Affairs | Simon Kofe [3] [4] [5] [9] | Funafuti | Kofe resigned in July 2023 to focus on the parliamentary work to amend the Constitution. [10] |
Panapasi Nelesoni | Nukufetau | Appointed in August 2023. [11] [12] | |
Minister for Education, Youth & Sports | Timi Melei [3] | Nanumea | |
Minister for Public Utilities & Environment | Ampelosa Manoa Tehulu [3] | Nanumea | |
Minister of Finance | Seve Paeniu [3] [13] [14] | Nukulaelae | |
Minister for Health, Social Welfare & Gender | Isaia Taape [3] [4] | Vaitupu | |
Minister for Home Affairs & Agriculture | Katepu Laoi [3] | Niutao | Died in April 2022. [15] |
Sa'aga Talu Teafa [16] | Niutao | Won the Niutao by-election on 6 June 2022 following the death of Katepu Laoi. [17] | |
Minister for Transport, Energy & Tourism | Nielu Meisake [3] | Vaitupu | |
The politics of Tuvalu takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic monarchy, whereby the monarch is the head of state, represented by the governor-general, while the prime minister is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the government.
Tuvalu elects a legislature on a national level. The Parliament of Tuvalu has 16 members, elected for a four-year term in 8 double-seat constituencies. Tuvalu is a de facto non-partisan democracy since it does not have political parties. The political system is based on personal alliances and loyalties derived from clan and family connections. It does tend to have both a distinct government and a distinct opposition. The 16 members of the current parliament are elected from eight two-seat constituencies via plurality block voting.
Sir Fiatau Penitala Teo was a political figure from the Pacific nation of Tuvalu. Teo was appointed Chief in the House of Chiefs of Niutao in 1945 and was reappointed as a Chief on 29 June 1997 after his service as the first Governor General of Tuvalu.
Seve Paeniu is a Tuvaluan politician. Paeniu was elected to the Parliament of Tuvalu in the 2019 Tuvaluan general election to represent the Nukulaelae electorate. He was appointed as the Minister of Finance in the Natano Ministry.
The Parliament of Tuvalu is the unicameral national legislature of Tuvalu. The place at which the parliament sits is called the Vaiaku maneapa. The maneapa on each island is an open meeting place where the chiefs and elders deliberate and make decisions.
Apisai Ielemia was a Tuvaluan politician. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Tuvalu from 2006 to 2010, and also held the role as Foreign Minister. He was returned as a member of parliament in the 2010 Tuvaluan general election. He was re-elected to parliament in the 2015 Tuvaluan general election. On 5 October 2016 Chief Justice Sweeney of the High Court of Tuvalu declared that Ielemia’s parliamentary seat was vacant as he was not qualified to be a member of parliament, as the consequence of the short time the opposition MP served time in jail following his conviction on 6 May 2016 in the Magistrate’s Court of charges of abuse of office during the final year of his term as prime minister. The abuse of office charges related to payments deposited into a National Bank of Tuvalu personal account. The 5 October 2016 decision of the Chief Justice was controversial as it appeared to contradict the June 2016 decision of Justice Norman Franzi of the High Court of Tuvalu that had quashed Ielemia’s conviction and acquitted him of the abuse of office charges. The appeal to the High Court held that the conviction was "manifestly unsafe," with the court quashing the 12-month jail term.
Feleti Penitala Teo is a Tuvaluan politician and lawyer who is currently serving as the 14th Prime Minister of Tuvalu. He was elected to the Parliament of Tuvalu in the 2024 Tuvaluan general election, with his previous role being the executive director of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC).
Kausea Natano is a politician who served as the Prime Minister of Tuvalu from 19 September 2019 to 26 February 2024. He represented Funafuti as a Member of Parliament. He was first elected in the 2002 Tuvaluan general election and served as an MP until he was unseated in the 2024 Tuvaluan general election.
Enele Sosene Sopoaga PC is a Tuvaluan diplomat and politician who was Prime Minister of Tuvalu from 2013 to 2019.
The Cabinet of Tuvalu is the executive branch of the government of Tuvalu.
The Sopoaga Ministry was the 14th ministry of the Government of Tuvalu, led by Prime Minister Enele Sopoaga. It succeeds the Telavi Ministry upon its swearing in by Governor-General Sir Iakoba Italeli on 5 August 2013.
Samuelu Penitala Teo is a Tuvaluan politician. He is the son of Sir Fiatau Penitala Teo who was appointed as the first Governor General of Tuvalu (1978–1986) following independence from Great Britain. Samuelu Teo himself served as the Acting Governor-General of Tuvalu from January until 28 September 2021. He had succeeded Acting Governor-General Teniku Talesi and remained in office until the Rev. Tofiga Vaevalu Falani was sworn in as the 10th Governor-General in September 2021.
General elections were held in Tuvalu on 9 September 2019. There were 37 candidates seeking election to the Parliament, two of whom are women: Valisi Alimau, who was contesting in the Nukufetau electorate, and Puakena Boreham who was seeking re-election in the Nui electorate.
Simon Kofe is a Tuvaluan politician. He was appointed as the Minister for Justice, Communication & Foreign Affairs, in the cabinet of Kausea Natano following the 2019 Tuvaluan general election.
Teniku Talesi Honolulu served as the acting governor-general of Tuvalu from 22 August 2019 until January 2021. She replaced Sir Iakoba Italeli, who resigned to contest in the 2019 general election.
Sa'aga Talu Teafa is a Tuvaluan politician with his former occupation was being a civil servant. Teafa was previously Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Utilities.
General elections were held in Tuvalu on 26 January 2024. There are no political parties in Tuvalu and all candidates run as independents.
Panapasi Nelesoni is a Tuvaluan politician. He was previously a civil servant, including being the Secretary to the Government. He was elected to parliament to represent Nukufetau in a by-election held on 30 June 2023.