Sir Tomasi Puapua (born 10 September 1938) is a political figure who represented

Vaitupu Vaitupu is the largest atoll of the nation of Tuvalu. It is located at 7.48 degrees south and 178.83 degrees east. There are 1,061 people (2017 Census) living on with the main village being Asau. Geography The island, which covers approxima ...

in the

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 ...

. He attended the

Fiji School of Medicine The Fiji School of Medicine is a tertiary institution based in Suva, Fiji. Originally established in 1885 as the ''Suva Medical School''. FSM became the College of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences as part of Fiji National University in 2010. ...

and the

Otago University , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate u ...

Medical School. He married Riana Puapua.

Prime minister

He was the second Prime Minister of

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 ...

from 8 September 1981 to 16 October 1989. In a country which sees frequent changes among its head of government, Puapua is noted for having been the hitherto longest serving Prime Minister. The first elections after independence will not held until 8 September 1981. 26 candidates contested the 12 seats. Dr. Tomasi Puapua, was elected as prime minister with a 7:5 majority over the group a members of parliament headed by former Prime Minister Toaripi Lauti. Tomasi Puapua was re-elected in the general election held on 12 September 1985 continued as Prime Minister, The next general election was held on 26 March 1989. In the subsequent parliament the members elected

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 ...

. Following the general election that was held on 25 November 1993 the members of parliament were evenly split in their support of the incumbent Prime Minister

and Tomasi Puapua. As a consequence, the Governor-General dissolved the parliament on 22 September and a further election took place on 25 November 1993. The subsequent parliament elected

Kamuta Latasi Sir Kamuta Latasi (born September 4, 1936) is a political figure from the Pacific nation of Tuvalu from Funafuti atoll. He was elected to the Parliament of Tuvalu in 1992. Latasi served as the 4th Prime Minister of Tuvalu from 1993 until 1996. ...

as prime minister on 10 December 1993.

Speaker

He was elected Speaker of the

(Palamene o Tuvalu) during government of

from 1993 to 1998.

Governor-General

Having exercised the senior executive office for many years, Puapua later served as

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 ...

as the representative of

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

, Queen of Tuvalu from 1998 to 2003, which is a higher office in protocol terms, but is more ceremonial in nature.

Commonwealth honours

In 1998 he was made a Knight Commander of the Most Excellent

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(KBE) for services to medicine, politics and the community. In 2002 Puapua was appointed to the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

and the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Puapua, Tomasi 1938 births Living people Governors-General of Tuvalu Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Prime Ministers of Tuvalu Speakers of the Parliament of Tuvalu