Apisai Ielemia
| Apisai Ielemia | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Prime Minister of Tuvalu | |
|
In office 14 August 2006 – 29 September 2010 |
|
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor General |
Filoimea Telito Kamuta Latasi Iakoba Italeli |
| Preceded by | Maatia Toafa |
| Succeeded by | Maatia Toafa |
| Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Environment, Trade, Labour and Tourism | |
|
In office 24 December 2010 – 2 August 2013 |
|
| Prime Minister | Willy Telavi |
| Preceded by | Enele Sopoaga (Foreign Affairs, Environment and Labour) |
| Succeeded by | Taukelina Finikaso (Minister of Environment, Foreign Affairs, Labour, and Trade) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 April 1955 |
| Spouse(s) | Sikinala Ielemia |
Apisai Ielemia (born 19 August 1955) is a Tuvaluan politician. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Tuvalu from 2006 to 2010, and was returned as a member of parliament in the general election of 2010. He was re-elected to parliament in the Tuvaluan general election, 2015. In early October 2016 Chief Justice Sweeney of the High Court of Tuvalu declared that Ielemia’s parliamentary seat was vacant as he was no longer qualified to be a member of parliament, as the consequence of the short time the opposition MP served time in jail following his conviction on 6 May 2016 in the Magistrate’s Court of charges of abuse of office during the final year of his term as Prime Minister (August 2006 to September 2010). The abuse of office charges related to payments deposited into a National Bank of Tuvalu personal account. The October 2016 decision of the Chief Justice was controversial as it appeared to contradict the June 2016 decision of Justice Norman Franzi of the High Court of Tuvalu that had quashed Ielemia’s conviction and acquitted him of the abuse of office charges. The appeal to the High Court held that the conviction was “manifestly unsafe,” with the court quashing the 12 month jail term. Ielemia said he is appealing against the disqualification decision and still considers himself to be an member of parliament.
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 3 August 2006 prime minister Maatia Toafa's government was defeated and Ielemia was elected by the new parliament on 14 August to become the new prime minister. He also became foreign minister.
Ielemia has continued Tuvalu's pursuit of close relations with the Republic of China, and in December 2007 visited that country, where various bilateral issues were addressed. He gained a higher international profile during the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen by highlighting the dangers of rising sea levels. In September 2008 Ielemia and the President of Kiribati, Anote Tong, attended a conference to improve relations with Cuba.
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Wikipedia