Apisai Ielemia is Tuvalu’s leader...Prime Minister without Opposition

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Two countries have been suspended — the Fiji Islands which was suspended from membership on September 21, 2009 and Nauru, which is in arrears.

We continue today a daily feature on the Commonwealth and will feature the Heads of these States who are expected in Port-of-Spain in November.

Apisai Ielemia is a political figure from the Pacific nation of Tuvalu. He has been Prime Minister of Tuvalu since 2006.

Ielemia was elected to serve in the Parliament of Tuvalu by the constituency of Vaitupu on a non-partisan basis: his lack of alignment is not unusual in the politics of Tuvalu, since political parties have not emerged in the country.

In general elections held on August 3, 2006 prime minister Maatia Toafa’s government was defeated and opposition MP Ielemia was approved by the new parliament on August 14 to become the new prime minister. He also became foreign minister.

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 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. The governor-general of Tuvalu is responsible for conducting the election, and for proclaiming the winner.

The office of prime minister was established when Tuvalu gained independence in 1978, although the post is sometimes considered to be a continuation of the earlier office of Chief Minister, which was created in 1975. The prime minister also always serves as the foreign minister of Tuvalu. 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 no confidence vote by parliament, or losing his seat in a parliamentary election. Several former prime ministers have become governors-general of Tuvalu.

Ielemia has continued Tuvalu’s pursuit of close relations with Republic of China, and in December 2007 visited that country, when various bilateral issued were addressed.

The Head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, represented by Governor-General Filoimea Telito.

Tuvalu has no political parties. Allegiances revolve around personalities and geography.

Media freedom is respected in Tuvalu but the market is very small. The government operates Radio Tuvalu. Many islanders use satellite dishes to watch foreign TV stations.

The government publishes the fortnightly newspaper Tuvalu Echoes in the Tuvalu language and in English.

There were around 4,000 internet users by March 2008 (ITU).

Tuvalu is a group of nine tiny islands in the South Pacific which won independence from the United Kingdom in 1978. Five of the islands are coral atolls, the other four consist of land rising from the sea bed.

All are low-lying, with no point on Tuvalu being higher than 4.5 metres above sea level. Local politicians have campaigned against global warming, arguing that climate change could see the islands swamped by rising sea levels.

Life on the islands is simple and often harsh. There are no streams or rivers, so the collection of rain is essential.

Coconut palms cover most of the islands, and copra — dried coconut kernel — is practically the only export commodity. Increasing salination of the soil threatens traditional subsistence farming.

Tuvalu depends on foreign aid, the income from the sale of tuna fishing licences and the interest from a trust fund set up in 1987. The sale of postage stamps also brings in revenues.

It is one of a handful of countries to have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, which has funded the construction of Tuvalu’s largest building — a three-storey administrative headquarters.

Tuvalu has shown ingenuity by exploiting another source of income. It has sold its internet suffix — tv — to a Californian company for several million dollars a year in continuing revenue. The company sells the suffix on to television broadcasters.

Some of the money has been used to pave roads — which were formerly made of crushed coral — and to build schools.