Anote Tong
| Anote Tong | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) |
|
| President of Kiribati | |
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In office 10 July 2003 – 11 March 2016 |
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| Vice President | Teima Onorio |
| Preceded by | Tion Otang (Acting) |
| Succeeded by | Taneti Mamau |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
11 June 1952 Tabuaeran, Gilbert and Ellice Islands (now Kiribati) |
| Political party | Pillars of Truth |
| Spouse(s) | Nei Meme |
| Alma mater |
University of Canterbury London School of Economics |
Anote Tong (simplified Chinese: 汤安诺; traditional Chinese: 湯安諾; pinyin: Tāng Ānnuò; born 11 June 1952 in Tabuaeran, Line Islands) is an I-Kiribati politician with Chinese heritage who served as President of Kiribati from 2003 to 2016. He won the election in July 2003 with a slim plurality of votes cast (47.4%) against his older brother, Dr. Harry Tong (43.5%) and the private lawyer Banuera Berina (9.1%). The elections were contested by the opposition, due to allegations of electoral fraud but the High Court of Tarawa had confirmed that there was no fraud. He was re-elected on 17 October 2007 for a second term (64%). In 2012, Tong was reelected for a third term, although with a significantly smaller percentage than in the previous two elections.
President Tong is primarily known abroad for his efforts to raise "global awareness on the threat posed by climate change", and was dubbed the "Mahatma Gandhi of the Pacific" by Grammy Award Winner Ricky Kej.
Born in Tabuaeran, Line Islands, he is the third of six children of Tong Ting Hai, a Chinese migrant who settled in the Gilberts after World War II and Nei Keke Randolph, from the islands of Abaiang and Maiana in Kiribati, he went to St Bede's College for his secondary school education, graduated from Canterbury University with a degree in Science, and then gained a Masters in Economics degree from the London School of Economics.
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