Parliament of Tuvalu

Parliament of Tuvalu
Type
Type	Unicameral
Leadership
Prime Minister	Enele Sopoaga Since 1 August 2013
Speaker	Otinielu Tausi Since 3 March 2014
Structure
Seats	15
Political groups	Government (11)   Opposition (4)*
Elections
Voting system	Plurality voting
Last election	2015
Next election	2019
Website
http://www.tuvaluislands.com/gov_info.htm
Footnotes
* all candidates for Parliament officially stand as independents.

The Parliament of Tuvalu, or Palamene o Tuvalu is the unicameral national legislature of Tuvalu.

The islands of Tuvalu came under Britain's sphere of influence in the late 19th century, when the Ellice Islands were declared a British protectorate by Captain Gibson of HMS Curacao, between 9 and 16 October 1892. The Ellice Islands were administered as a British protectorate by a Resident Commissioner from 1892 to 1916 as part of the British Western Pacific Territories (BWPT), and from 1916 to 1974 as part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony.

In 1974, the Ellice Islanders voted for separate British dependency status. As a consequence Tuvalu separated from the Gilbert Islands which became Kiribati. Tuvalu became fully independent within the Commonwealth on 1 October 1978. On 5 September 2000, Tuvalu became the 189th member of the United Nations.

The way in which legislation was created changed as Tuvalu evolved from a being a British protectorate to a British colony until it eventually became an independent country:

During the time of the British colony of Tuvalu until independence the parliament of Tuvalu was called the House of the Assembly or Fale I Fono. The parliament was first established when Tuvalu separated from the Gilbert and Ellice Islands in 1975. Following independence in October 1978 the House of the Assembly was renamed the Parliament of Tuvalu or Palamene o Tuvalu.

The elections to the parliament — then called the House of the Assembly — immediately before independence was the Tuvaluan general election, 1977; with Toaripi Lauti being appointed as prime minister on 1 October 1977. The parliament was dissolved in July 1978 and thereafter the government of Toaripi Lauti was acting in a caretaker capacity only until the Tuvaluan general election, 1981 was held.