Enele Sopoaga
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The Right Honourable Enele Sopoaga MP |
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| Prime Minister of Tuvalu | |
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Assumed office 1 August 2013 Acting: 1 August 2013 – 5 August 2013 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor-General | Iakoba Italeli |
| Deputy |
Vete Sakaio Maatia Toafa |
| Preceded by | Willy Telavi |
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Member of Parliament for Nukufetau |
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Assumed office 16 September 2010 Serving with Lotoala Metia then Elisala Pita |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
10 February 1956 Nukufetau, Tuvalu |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse(s) | Salilo Enele |
| Alma mater |
University of Oxford University of Sussex |
Enele Sosene Sopoaga (born 10 February 1956) is a Tuvaluan diplomat and politician who has been Prime Minister of Tuvalu since 2013.
Sopoaga was elected to Parliament in the 2010 general election. He served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Environment and Labour in Prime Minister Maatia Toafa's short-lived government from September to December 2010. Following an unsuccessful bid for the premiership in December 2010 (with Toafa's support), he became leader of the Opposition to prime minister Willy Telavi's government. He became caretaker prime minister on 1 August 2013 following Telavi's removal by the Governor General, in the context of a political crisis. A day later, on 2 August 2013, the opposition successfully voted out Telavi's government in a no confidence vote. Following this, a ballot was held to elect the new prime minister of Tuvalu and Sopoaga won with 8 votes to 4. He was sworn in on 5 August 2013, and created his ministry the same day.
Sopoaga received a Certificate in Diplomatic Studies from Oxford University in 1990, and a master's degree from the University of Sussex in 1994. Sopoaga and his wife, Salilo Enele, have three children.
He is the younger brother of Saufatu Sopoaga, who was prime minister from 2002 to 2004.
From 1980 until 1986, Sopoaga served as an Education Administrator within the Ministry of Social Services. He became the Assistant Secretary of the Ministry of Social Services in 1986. He was the Assistant Secretary and European Union National Authorizing Officer, Department of Foreign Affairs (three years), and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Economic Planning (two years), both between 1986 and 1991. Sopoaga was the acting officer within the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Economic Planning from 1991 until 1992. He then served as the Permanent Secretary (the highest civil service position) and European Union National Authorizing Officer within the Tuvaluan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Economic Planning from 1992 to 1995. Additionally, Sopoaga served as Tuvalu's High Commissioner to Fiji. He also simultaneously served as the Tuvaluan High Commissioner to both Papua New Guinea and Samoa. From 1995 to 1996, he was the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Sports and Human Resource Development.
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