General elections were held in Tuvalu on 27 August 1977. As there were no political parties, all candidates ran as independents, with

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 ...

remaining Chief Minister. Voter turnout was 78.8%.

Background

Following a 1974 referendum, the Ellice Islands separated from the

Gilbert and Ellice Islands The Gilbert and Ellice Islands (GEIC as a colony) in the Pacific Ocean were part of the British Empire from 1892 to 1976. They were a protectorate from 1892 to 12 January 1916, and then a colony until 1 January 1976. The history of the colony w ...

. The Tuvaluan Order 1975, which took effect on 1 October 1975, recognised Tuvalu as a separate British dependency with its own government. The second stage occurred on 1 January 1976 when separate administrations were created out of the civil service of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. A new House of Assembly was established with eight members. Prior to the 1977 elections, the number was increased to twelve. The four islands with a population of over 1,000 elected two members and the other four islands elected one member.

Results

Minister Isakaia Paeniu lost his seat.Tuvalu elections
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', October 1977, p18

Elected members

Aftermath

Following the elections,

was re-elected Chief Minister on 1 October. The House of the Assembly was renamed the Parliament of Tuvalu after independence in October 1978.

References

{{Tuvaluan elections Tuvalu Elections in Tuvalu Election Non-partisan elections Election and referendum articles with incomplete results