Prime Minister of Tuvalu

Template:Politics of Tuvalu The prime minister of Tuvalu is the country's head of government. 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 parties in Tuvalu, any member of parliament can be nominated for the role.

Part V, section 62 of the Constitution of Tuvalu describes the vesting of the executive authority:

(1) The executive authority of Tuvalu is primarily vested in the Sovereign, and the Governor-General as the representative of the Sovereign.

(2) The executive authority so vested in the Sovereign shall be exercised in accordance with section 53 (performance of functions by the Head of State).<ref name="CofT23">Template:Cite web</ref>

Following the parliamentary vote, the governor-general of Tuvalu is responsible for swearing in as the prime minister the person who commands the confidence of a majority of members of parliament.

Part V of the Constitution establishes the executive authority of Tuvalu and confirms that while the Prime Minister is the head of government, executive power is exercised by ministerial government, with Part V, section 67 to 69 establishing the role of the cabinet.<ref name="CofT23"/>

The office of prime minister was established when Tuvalu gained independence in 1978. However, the post is sometimes considered a continuation of the earlier office of chief minister, created in 1975. If the prime minister dies, as has happened on one occasion, the deputy prime minister becomes acting prime minister until a new one is elected by parliament. The prime minister can lose his office by resigning, being defeated in a motion of no confidence by parliament, or losing his seat in a parliamentary election.

Part V, Section 63 of the Constitution of Tuvalu establishes the office of Prime Minister. Under section 64, the Prime Minister is elected by the members of parliament, with sections 64 to 67 describing what happens if the office of the Prime Minister becomes vacant, the removal from office of an incapacitated Prime Minister, the process for the suspension of the Prime Minister, and the effect of removal or suspension of the Prime Minister.<ref name="CofT23"/>

Until the Second Toafa Ministry in 2010, the prime minister also had the role of foreign minister. Enele Sopoaga was the foreign minister in the short-lived Second Toafa Ministry. In subsequent ministries, foreign affairs was another minister's responsibility in the cabinet.

Several former prime ministers have been appointed the governor-general of Tuvalu.

Feleti Teo was appointed as prime minister on 26 February 2024, after he was elected unopposed by the parliament.<ref name=R24-2-26>Template:Cite web</ref>

List of prime ministers

Toaripi Lauti was the Chief Minister of the Ellice Islands from 1975 to 1978 when Tuvalu became an independent country. He became the first Prime Minister of Tuvalu after that.

Prime Ministers of Tuvalu

Template:Abbr	Portrait	Name Template:Small	Election	Term of office			Ministry	Governor-General	Monarch
				Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Sir Toaripi Lauti Template:Small	1977	1 October 1978	8 September 1981	Template:Age in years and days	Lauti Ministry Template:Small	Sir Fiatau Penitala Teo	Queen Elizabeth II
2		Tomasi Puapua Template:Small	1981 1985	8 September 1981	16 October 1989	Template:Age in years and days	First Puapua Ministry Second Puapua Ministry Template:Small
								Sir Tupua Leupena
3		Bikenibeu Paeniu Template:Small	1989 [[September 1993 Tuvaluan general election|1993 Template:Small]]	16 October 1989	10 December 1993	Template:Age in years and days	First Paeniu Ministry Template:Small
								Sir Toaripi Lauti
								Sir Tomu Sione
4		Sir Kamuta Latasi Template:Small	[[November 1993 Tuvaluan general election|1993 Template:Small]]	10 December 1993	24 December 1996	Template:Age in years and days	Latasi Ministry Template:Small
								Sir Tulaga Manuella
Template:Small		Bikenibeu Paeniu Template:Small	[[November 1993 Tuvaluan general election|1993 Template:Small]] 1998	24 December 1996	27 April 1999	Template:Age in years and days	Second Paeniu Ministry Third Paeniu Ministry Template:Small
								Sir Tomasi Puapua
5		Ionatana Ionatana Template:Small	1998	27 April 1999	8 December 2000	Template:Age in years and days	Ionatana Ministry Template:Small
Template:SmallTemplate:Ref		Lagitupu Tuilimu	—	8 December 2000	24 February 2001	Template:Age in years and days	Tuilimu Ministry Template:Small
6		Faimalaga Luka Template:Small	1998	24 February 2001	14 December 2001	Template:Age in years and days	Luka Ministry Template:Small
7		Koloa Talake Template:Small	1998	14 December 2001	2 August 2002	Template:Age in years and days	Talake Ministry Template:Small
8		Saufatu Sopoanga Template:Small	2002	2 August 2002	27 August 2004	Template:Age in years and days	Sopoanga Ministry Template:Small
								Faimalaga Luka
9		Maatia Toafa Template:Small	2002	27 August 2004	14 August 2006	Template:Age in years and days	First Toafa Ministry Template:Small
								Sir Filoimea Telito
10		Apisai Ielemia Template:Small	2006	14 August 2006	29 September 2010	Template:Age in years and days	Ielemia Ministry Template:Small
								Sir Kamuta Latasi
								Sir Iakoba Italeli
Template:Small		Maatia Toafa Template:Small	2010	29 September 2010	24 December 2010	Template:Age in years and days	Second Toafa Ministry Template:Small
11	File:Willy Telavi.jpg	Willy Telavi Template:Small	2010	24 December 2010	1 August 2013	Template:Age in years and days	Telavi Ministry Template:Small
12	File:Enele Sopoaga 2015.jpg	Enele Sopoaga Template:Small	2010 2015	1 August 2013	19 September 2019	Template:Age in years and days	Sopoaga Ministry Template:Small
13	File:Kausea Natano 2023.jpg	Kausea Natano Template:Small	2019	19 September 2019	26 February 2024	Template:Age in years and days	Natano Ministry Template:Small	Mrs. Teniku Talesi, Samuelu Teo
14	File:Feleti Teo 2024.jpg	Feleti Teo Template:Small	2024	26 February 2024	Incumbent	Template:Age in years and days	Teo Ministry Template:Small	Sir Tofiga Vaevalu Falani	King Charles III

Notes Template:Refbegin

1. Template:Note Tuilimu served as acting prime minister following the death of Ionatana.<ref name="EB">Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref><ref name="TL15">Template:Cite book</ref>
2. Template:Note Sir Iakoba Italeli resigned as Governor-General on 22 August 2019 to contest a seat in parliament in the 2019 general election.<ref name=RNZ19>Template:Cite web</ref>
3. Template:Note Sir Tofiga Vaevalu Falani was appointed as Governor-General on 29 September 2021, during the term of prime minister Kausea Natano
4. Template:Note King Charles III acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022, during the term of prime minister Kausea Natano.