by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

was held in the

Nukufetau Nukufetau is an atoll that is part of the nation of Tuvalu. The atoll was claimed by the US under the Guano Islands Act some time in the 19th century and was ceded in a treaty of friendship concluded in 1979 and coming into force in 1983. It has a ...

constituency in

Tuvalu Tuvalu ( or ; formerly known as the Ellice Islands) is an island country and microstate in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. Its islands are situated about midway between Hawaii and Australia. They lie east-northeast ...

as the consequence of the appointment of the opposition member of parliament

Faimalaga Luka Faimalaga Luka OBE (April 15, 1940 – August 19, 2005) was a political figure from the Pacific nation of Tuvalu. He represented the constituency of Nukufetau in the Parliament of Tuvalu. He served as Governor-General and the Prime Minister of Tu ...

as the

Governor-General of Tuvalu The governor-general of Tuvalu is the vice-regal representative of the Tuvaluan monarch, currently King Charles III, in the country of Tuvalu. The monarch is the head of state of Tuvalu, with the governor-general performing the monarch's duti ...

Context

During his term as

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Saufatu Sopoanga Saufatu Sopoanga (22 February 1952 – 15 December 2020) was a Tuvaluan politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Tuvalu from 2 August 2002 to 27 August 2004. He drew international attention for his speeches warning about the effec ...

experienced a shifting alliance of MPs who supported him, and there was also an opposition group against him. Both Sapoanga's group and the opposition group were plagued by defections; a series of by-elections also created uncertainty as to which side would emerge with a parliamentary majority. The Sopoanga government lost its majority in May 2003, following the results of the 2003 Nanumea by-election and the 2003 Niutao by-election. Amasone Kilei, the leader of the opposition, wrote to Sir

Tomasi Puapua Sir Tomasi Puapua (born 10 September 1938) is a political figure who represented Vaitupu in the Parliament of Tuvalu. He attended the Fiji School of Medicine and the Otago University Medical School. He married Riana Puapua. Prime minister He ...

, the governor-general, on 10 May 2003 advising that he commanded the support of a majority of the members of parliament and they were ready to form a government. The leader of the opposition also commenced legal proceedings in the

High Court of Tuvalu The High Court of Tuvalu is the superior court of Tuvalu. It has unlimited original jurisdiction to determine the Law of Tuvalu and hears appeals from the lower courts. General jurisdiction of the High Court The High Court of Tuvalu has general ...

. Eventually Saufatu Sopoanga recalled parliament to meet in September 2003. On 9 September Sopoanga arranged to appointed opposition MP

governor general Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

to follow Sir Tomasi Puapua. This appointment deprived the opposition of its crucial one-seat majority and triggering the Nukufetau by-election.

Result

The winner of the October by-election,

Elisala Pita Elisala Pita OBE (d. 22 August 2016) was a Tuvaluan politician. Pita "had a long and distinguished career with the Fisheries Department" in Tuvalu, "culminating in his being employed as a Fisheries Adviser with the USAID". For the latter position ...

, joined the government's benches, enabling it to survive into 2004."New Member of Parliament in Tuvalu"
Radio Australia, 13 October 2003 The survival of the Sopoanga government has been described as resulting from his dexterous handling of the distribution of ministerial and other appointments.

References

{{reflist 2003 elections in Oceania 2003 in Tuvalu By-elections to the Parliament of Tuvalu