The Cabinet of Tuvalu is the

executive branch The Executive, also referred as the Executive branch or Executive power, is the term commonly used to describe that part of government which enforces the law, and has overall responsibility for the governance of a state. In political systems ...

of the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government i ...

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-northea ...

. It is drawn from, and responsible to, the

legislative branch A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...

, the unicameral

Parliament of Tuvalu The Parliament of Tuvalu (called ''Fale i Fono'' in Tuvaluan, or ''Palamene o 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 ...

. After every legislative election, members of parliament (MPs) elect one of their own 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 ...

. The latter then appoints ministers from among the MPs to form a

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

. (Officially, ministers are appointed by 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 ...

, who represents the

monarch A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority ...

, with the governor-general acting on the advice of the prime minister). Initially, the Constitution provided that the number of members of cabinet (excluding the prime minister) must not be more than one third of the number of members of parliament. This was amended by the ''Constitution of Tuvalu (Amendment) Act'' 2007, which provides that up to half of the members of parliament may be appointed to cabinet (in addition to the prime minister). As there are no political parties in Tuvalu, and MPs are independent members representing the interest of their constituency, the prime minister is usually careful to appoint MPs from different parts of the country as cabinet members. There are currently 16 MPs. The

Constitution of Tuvalu The Constitution of Tuvalu states that it is “the supreme law of Tuvalu” and that “all other laws shall be interpreted and applied subject to this Constitution”; it sets out the Principles of the Bill of Rights and the Protection of the ...

states that the cabinet is responsible to parliament. The latter may dismiss it through a

vote of no confidence A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...

Current Cabinet

Following the

2019 Tuvaluan general election 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 ...

, on 19 September 2019, the members of parliament elected

Kausea Natano Kausea Natano (born 5 July 1957) is a Tuvaluan politician who is serving as Prime Minister of Tuvalu, in office since 19 September 2019. He is also serving as an MP for Funafuti, having also served as the country's deputy prime minister and mi ...

from

Funafuti Funafuti is the capital of the island nation of Tuvalu. It has a population of 6,320 people (2017 census), and so it has more people than the rest of Tuvalu combined, with approximately 60% of the population. It consists of a narrow sweep of lan ...

as Prime Minister, and Samuelu Teo was elected as Speaker of the Parliament of Tuvalu. Mrs. Teniku Talesi Honolulu, the acting

convened the

to meet on 19 September 2019, at which

was elected as

Prime Minister of Tuvalu 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 ...

. Natano appointed the members of the Cabinet, which met for the first time on 20 September 2019.

Sopoaga Cabinet (2013-2019)

On 1 August 2013,

Sir

Iakoba Italeli Sir Iakoba Taeia Italeli is a Tuvaluan politician who was the governor-general of Tuvalu from 16 April 2010, until 22 August 2019, when he resigned to contest in the 2019 general election. He is also a former attorney general of Tuvalu who ...

made an unprecedented use of his

reserve powers Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US v ...

in removing prime minister Willy Telavi from office and appointed opposition leader

Enele Sopoaga Enele Sosene Sopoaga PC (born 10 February 1956) is a Tuvaluan diplomat and politician who was Prime Minister of Tuvalu from 2013 to 2019. Sopoaga was elected to Parliament in the 2010 general election. He served as Deputy Prime Minister and ...

as interim prime minister. On 4 August 2013, Sopoaga was elected as prime minister by 8 votes to 5. He was sworn in and appointed his ministers to the cabinet a day later. The

2015 Tuvaluan general election General elections were held in Tuvalu on 31 March 2015. The state of emergency created by Cyclone Pam resulted in the election being delayed twice. The election was originally scheduled for 19 March, then after Cyclone Pam caused damage to the is ...

was held on 31 March.

Vete Sakaio Vete Sakaio OBE is a Tuvaluan politician. A civil engineer by trade, he was described in 2008 as a "leader of the community" on his home island of Niutao. He is also the Vice President of the Tuvalu Association of Sports and National Olympic C ...

, the deputy prime minister and minister for public utilities, was not re-elected to parliament. Enele Sopoaga was sworn in as prime minister and appointed the ministers to the cabinet on 10 April.

Cabinets 2010-2013

Telavi Cabinet (2010–2013)

The government led by

Maatia Toafa Maatia Toafa OBE (born 1 May 1954) is a Tuvaluan politician, representing Nanumea, who served two non-consecutive terms as Prime Minister of Tuvalu. He first served as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2006, from the resignation of his predecessor, S ...

remained in office for 3 months. In December 2010, Willy Telavi, minister for home affairs in the Toafa Ministry, crossed the floor, joined the opposition and enabled it to bring down the Toafa's government through a vote of no confidence, which was carried by eight votes to seven. On 24 December, Telavi was elected as the Prime Minister, defeating Environment Minister

(who was supported by

) by another 8–7 vote. Telavi appointed his cabinet on that same day, Christmas Eve.Tuvalu: Cabinet
,

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

Isaia Italeli Isaia Italeli Taeia (1960s – 19/20 July 2011), more commonly known as Isaia Italeli, was a Tuvaluan politician. He was elected to Parliament as MP for Nui in the September 2010 general election, at which time his elder brother, Sir Ia ...

, minister for works and natural resources, died suddenly on 19 July 2011, while attending a regional meeting in

Apia Apia () is the capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga. ...

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...

. In August, his widow,

Pelenike Isaia Pelenike Tekinene Isaia served in the Parliament of Tuvalu from 2011 to 2015. Before her election as an MP she worked for the Tuvalu Cooperative Society, as its branch manager in Nui. Her career in national politics began when she won the Aug ...

, was elected to his seat in parliament in a by-election in the constituency of Nui, thereby saving the government's parliamentary majority. She was subsequently appointed to cabinet as minister for home affairs. She is the second woman in parliament, and in cabinet, in Tuvalu's history."Composition du gouvernement des îles Tuvalu"
French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, 23 September 2011 On 21 December 2012, finance minister

Lotoala Metia Lotoala Metia (died 21 December 2012

died in hospital, of unspecified causes. The by-election caused by his death would decide the future of the Telavi government, reduced by his death (once again) to a parity of seven seats apiece with the opposition in parliament. The government succeeded in postponing it until 28 June, whereupon it was won by the opposition candidate

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 ...

, with two-thirds of the vote. On 30 July 2013, as the government was about to face a motion of no confidence, health minister

Taom Tanukale Taom Tanukale is a Tuvaluan politician. He began his career in national politics when he was elected to Parliament in a by-election in May 2005, as MP for Nui, following the death of his predecessor, Amasone Kilei. He joined Prime Minister ...

unexpectedly resigned from Parliament (and thus also from the government) altogether. As a consequence of the death of Metia, education minister

Falesa Pitoi Dr. Falesa Pitoi is a Tuvaluan politician. A dentist by profession, he began his career in national politics when he was elected to Parliament in the August 2006 general election as MP for Nanumaga. He then served for a time as Minister fo ...

being ill and outside the country since December 2012, and Tanukale having resigned, Telavi was left with only three active government ministers other than himself: deputy prime minister

, foreign affairs minister

Apisai Ielemia Apisai Ielemia (19 August 1955 – 19 November 2018) was a Tuvaluan politician. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Tuvalu from 2006 to 2010, and was returned as a member of parliament in the 2010 Tuvaluan general election. He was re-electe ...

, and home affairs minister

; he also had the support of the speaker. (There were no government

backbencher In Westminster and other parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a member of parliament (MP) or a legislator who occupies no governmental office and is not a frontbench spokesperson in the Opposition, being instead simply a member of the ...

s.) The following day, the reason for Tanukale's resignation became apparent. The speaker, Sir Kamuta Latasi, rejected the opposition's attempt to table a motion of no confidence, on the grounds that there was now a vacant seat in parliament. Latasi adjourned parliament, and ruled that it would not reconvene until a by-election had been held - thus prolonging Telavi's minority government once more. However, a day later on 1 August 2013, the

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 ...

and

head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and ...

, Sir

, sent out a

proclamation A proclamation (Lat. ''proclamare'', to make public by announcement) is an official declaration issued by a person of authority to make certain announcements known. Proclamations are currently used within the governing framework of some nations ...

removing Telavi from office as prime minister, and appointing opposition leader

as interim prime minister."GG appoints Sopoaga as Tuvalu's caretaker PM"
, ''

Islands Business ''Islands Business'' is a "multimedia publishing company" established in the 1970s in Suva, Fiji. ABC Radio describes it as an "influential regional publication". With correspondents throughout Oceania, it describes itself as the "premier publis ...

'', 1 August 2013 Telavi had reportedly announced his intention of removing Italeli as governor-general. Opposition spokesman

Taukelina Finikaso Taukelina Finikaso (born 10 January 1959) is a political figure from the Pacific nation of Tuvalu. At the 2006 general election, he was elected MP for his home constituency of Vaitupu. He was educated in Kiribati and Fiji before acquiring a Law D ...

praised Italeli for having "uph d the constitution", since Telavi had lacked a parliamentary majority with which to govern. His cabinet lasted officially until 2 August 2013, when it was formally voted out of office by the opposition.

2nd Toafa Cabinet (2010)

This short-lived cabinet was appointed by prime minister

on 29 September 2010, following the

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

on 16 September. It included a number of first time MPs, who had supported Toafa in his bid for the premiership. Sopoaga's appointment as minister for foreign affairs was described as a clear sign of the importance the government placed on

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...

issues within its

foreign policy A state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterally or through ...

."New Tuvalu PM Maatia Toafa names cabinet"
ABC Radio Australia, 29 September 2010

Cabinet 2006-2010

Ielemia Cabinet (2006–2010)

Following the 2006 general election

was elected as prime minister. His cabinet consisted of the following members: Ielemia continued as prime minister until the

2010 Tuvaluan general election Parliamentary elections were held in Tuvalu on 16 September 2010. Voters elected fifteen members of the Parliament to a four-year term. All candidates were independents, as there are no political parties in the country. Ten out of the fifteen i ...

Cabinets 2002-2006

1st Toafa Cabinet (2004–2006)

succeeded

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 ...

as prime minister. Sopoanga resigned from parliament on 27 August 2004, after his government was deposed in a vote of no confidence. Toafa, who was deputy prime minister at the time, became acting prime minister. A by-election was held on 7 October 2004 and Saufatu Sopoanga regained his seat.

was elected prime minister on 11 October 2004 with a vote of 8:7. Toafa remained prime minister until the

2006 Tuvaluan general election General elections were held in Tuvalu on 3 August 2006 to elect fifteen members to the Parliament. There were 5,765 eligible voters on the electoral roll. 32 candidates, including 2 women, competed for the 15 seats (the parliament had been increas ...

. The members of cabinet included:

Sopoanga Cabinet (2002–2004)

Following the 202 general election, on 2 August 2002

, who had been minister of finance in the previous administration, was elected prime minister. The deputy prime minister was

and

Bikenibeu Paeniu Bikenibeu Paeniu, PC (born 10 May 1956) is a politician from Tuvalu. He represented the constituency of Nukulaelae in the Parliament of Tuvalu. He has served twice as the Prime Minister of Tuvalu, and now serving as Tuvalu ambassador to Taiwan s ...

was the minister of finance. Sopoanga resigned from parliament on 27 August 2004, after his government was deposed in a vote of no confidence. The members of the cabinet were:

Cabinets 1998-2002

Talake Cabinet (2001–2002)

Koloa Talake Koloa Fineaso Talake (7 June 1934 – 26 May 2008) was a political figure from the Pacific nation of Tuvalu. He represented the constituency of Vaitupu in the Parliament of Tuvalu from 1993. He served as Minister of Finance (1993-96) and was th ...

became prime minister on 14 December 2001, after his predecessor

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 T ...

had been ousted by parliament in a motion of no confidence. This was Talake's cabinet just prior to the July 2002 general election, in which Talake lost his seat in parliament:

Luka Cabinet (2001)

became the prime minister on 24 February 2001 until he was replaced by

after a vote of no confidence on 14 December 2001. :''Cabinet to be added''

Tuilimu Cabinet (2000-2001)

Lagitupu Tuilimu Lagitupu Tulimu is a political figure from the Pacific nation of Tuvalu, who represented the constituency of Nanumea. He served as the Acting Prime Minister of Tuvalu from 8 December 2000 to 24 February 2001 following the death of incumbent Ionata ...

was acting prime minister from 8 December 2000 to 24 February 2001. he was appointed following the death of

Ionatana Ionatana Ionatana Ionatana, CVO OBE CPM (5 November 1938 – 8 December 2000), was a political figure from the Pacific nation of Tuvalu. He represented the constituency of Funafuti in the Parliament of Tuvalu. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Tuvalu f ...

on 8 December 2000. The members of the cabinet were:

Ionatana Cabinet (1999-2000)

was elected as prime minister following the resignation of

following a vote of no confidence on 27 April 1999.

died on 8 December 2000.

was appointed the minister of finance (1999–2001). :''Cabinet to be added''

3rd Paeniu Cabinet (1998-1999)

Following the 1998 general election,

was re-elected prime minister on 8 April 1998; He appointed his cabinet on the same day. Bikenibeu Paeniu remained as prime minister until he resigned following a vote of no confidence on 27 April 1999.

Cabinets 1993-1998

2nd Paeniu Cabinet (1996-1998)

was elected as prime minister for the second time following the resignation of Kamuta Latasi as the result of a vote of no confidence on 24 December 1996.

Latasi Cabinet (1993-1996)

The general election was held on 2 September 1993. In the subsequent parliament the members were evenly split in their support of the incumbent prime minister

and the former prime minister

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 ...

. As a consequence, the governor-general, Sir

Toaripi Lauti Sir Toaripi Lauti (28 November 1928 – 25 May 2014) was a Tuvaluan politician who served as chief minister of the Colony of Tuvalu (1975–78), as the first prime minister following Tuvalu's independence (1978–1981) and governor-general of T ...

, dissolved the parliament on 22 September and a further election took place on 25 November 1993. The subsequent parliament elected Kamuta Latasi as prime minister on 10 December 1993, with a 7:5 majority over the group a members of parliament headed by former prime minister Bikenibeu Paeniu. The deputy prime minister was Otinielu Tausi. Alesana Seluka was appointed the minister of finance (1996–1999) Kamuta Latasi ceased to be the prime minister as the result of a vote of no confidence on 24 December 1996. The members of the cabinet included:

Cabinets 1977-1993

1st Paeniu Cabinet (1989-1993)

Following the 1989 general election

was subsequently elected as prime minister, with a five-member cabinet formed on 16 October 1989. The members of the cabinet were:Tuvalu: A new leadership
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', November 1989, p26

2nd Puapua Cabinet (1985-1989)

The general election was held on 12 September 1985, with nine members re-elected including prime minister

and finance minister

Henry Naisali Henry Faati Naisali, CMG, AO, OBE (7 December 1928 – 20 October 2004) was a Tuvaluan politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of Tuvalu (1985-1989), Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum (1988-1992) and Pro-Chancellor of The ...

. On 21 September, Tomasi Puapua was re-elected as prime minister; he subsequently appointed a five-member cabinet. Henry Naisali resigned his seat to take up the position of Secretary General of the

South Pacific Forum The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) is an inter-governmental organization that aims to enhance cooperation between countries and territories of Oceania, including formation of a trade bloc and regional peacekeeping operations. It was founded in 1 ...

in September 1988. Kitiseni Lopati, was appointed at the minister of finance and commerce to replaced Naisali. The members of the cabinet were:

1st Puapua Cabinet (1981-1985)

The first elections after independence were not held until 8 September 1981. Dr.

, was elected as prime minister with a 7:5 majority over the group a members of parliament headed by former prime minister

, former civil servant, was appointed to cabinet as minister of finance and commerce. The members of the cabinet were:

Lauti Cabinet (1977-1981)

Following the result of the

1974 Ellice Islands self-determination referendum A referendum on separating from the Gilbert Islands was held in the Ellice Islands (then administered together as the Gilbert and Ellice Islands) between July and September 1974. Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) ''Election ...

, the Tuvaluan Order 1975, which took effect on 1 October 1975, recognised Tuvalu as a separate British dependency with its own government. Elections to the House of Assembly of the British Colony of Tuvalu were held on 27 August 1977; with

being appointed Chief Minister in the House of Assembly of the Colony of Tuvalu on 1 October 1977. The House of Assembly was dissolved in July 1978 with the government of Toaripi Lauti continuing as a

caretaker government A caretaker government is a temporary ''ad hoc'' government that performs some governmental duties and functions in a country until a regular government is elected or formed. Depending on specific practice, it usually consists of either randomly se ...

until the 1981 elections were held. Toaripi Lauti became the first

of the

or ''Palamene o Tuvalu'' on 1 October 1978 when Tuvalu became an independent nation. The members of the cabinet were:

References

{{Oceania topic, Cabinet of , title=National cabinets of Oceania

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...