Maatia Toafa
Encyclopedia
Maatia Toafa is a Tuvalu
an politician, representing Nanumea
who served two non-consecutive terms as Prime Minister of Tuvalu
. He first served as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2006, from the resignation of his predecessor, Saufatu Sopoanga
, until the defeat of his Cabinet
in the 2006 general election
. He regained the premiership on September 29, 2010, following the 2010 general election
, and lost it following a motion of confidence on December 21 of the same year.
Prior to entering domestic Tuvaluan politics, Toafa worked for the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat
in Suva
, Fiji
.
resigned from Parliament on August 27, 2004, after his government was deposed in a no confidence vote. Toafa, who was Deputy Prime Minister at the time, became Acting Prime Minister as a result of Sopoanga's resignation from office.
Toafa was confirmed as Prime Minister on October 11, 2004, when Sopoanga was reelected to Parliament and Parliament reconvened to elect a new Prime Minister. Like all Tuvalu Prime Ministers, Toafa also became Minister of Foreign Affairs. Toafa was reelected to Parliament during the 2006 general election
, but all of the members of his Cabinet were defeated.
. Toafa continued to serve as a member of the Parliament of Tuvalu
as the Leader of the Opposition
from 2006 until 2010.
constituency in the 2010 Tuvaluan general election
.
A secret ballot
was held on September 29, 2010, aprroximately one and a half weeks after the general election, to determine the country's next Prime Minister. Incumbent Prime Minister Apisai Ielemia
, who had succeeded Toafa for the office in 2006, was not returned to second term. Toafa won the ballot with eight votes to become Tuvalu's next prime minister. Toafa narrowly defeated Kausea Natano, who received the votes of seven MPs in the ballot. The election results were announced by Governor-General
Iakoba Italeli
and Toafa took office the same day.
Upon taking office, he told Tuvalu News that his government would "work for human security ensuring the basic human needs" of the inhabitants of all nine islands and atolls, in particular by rapidly "build[ing] up the[ir] economic infrastructure". This would require partnerships with donor countries, which he would seek to expand. He would also "work aggressively on the world society to protect small countries" from the effects of climate change
.
On December 21, 2010, Toafa and his government were toppled by a parliamentary motion of confidence, by eight votes to seven. His Minister of Home Affairs, Willy Telavi
, crossed the floor and enabled the Opposition to bring down the government. The motion was reportedly initiated due to MPs' concerns over certain aspects of the budget, in particular the prospect that the government may no longer fully fund patients' medical costs abroad. With a new Prime Minister due to be chosen on December 24, Toafa announced that he would not be standing for the job, but that he hoped his deputy and Foreign Affairs and Environment Minister, Enele Sopoaga
, would be chosen by Parliament in his place.
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Tuvalu
Tuvalu , formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, midway between Hawaii and Australia. Its nearest neighbours are Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa and Fiji. It comprises four reef islands and five true atolls...
an politician, representing Nanumea
Nanumea
Nanumea is the northwesternmost atoll in the Polynesian nation of Tuvalu, a group of nine coral atolls and islands spread over about four hundred miles of Pacific Ocean just south of the equator and west of the International Date Line.-Geography:...
who served two non-consecutive terms as Prime Minister of Tuvalu
Prime Minister of Tuvalu
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...
. He first served as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2006, from the resignation of his predecessor, Saufatu Sopoanga
Saufatu Sopoanga
The Rt Hon Saufatu Sopoanga is a political figure from the Pacific nation of Tuvalu. Sopoanga was the eighth Prime Minister and a foreign minister of Tuvalu.-Background:...
, until the defeat of his Cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
in the 2006 general election
Tuvaluan general election, 2006
General elections were held in Tuvalu on 3 August 2006 to elect fifteen members to the Parliament. All fifteen candidates elected were Independents, as there are no political parties in the country....
. He regained the premiership on September 29, 2010, following the 2010 general election
Tuvaluan general election, 2010
A parliamentary election was held in Tuvalu on 16 September 2010.Voters elected fifteen members of the Parliament to a four-year term. All candidates were independents, as there are no political parties in the country. Ten out of the fifteen incumbent members were re-elected. The remaining five...
, and lost it following a motion of confidence on December 21 of the same year.
Prior to entering domestic Tuvaluan politics, Toafa worked for the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat
Pacific Islands Forum
The Pacific Islands Forum is an inter-governmental organization that aims to enhance cooperation between the independent countries of the Pacific Ocean. It was founded in 1971 as the South Pacific Forum...
in Suva
Suva
Suva features a tropical rainforest climate under the Koppen climate classification. The city sees a copious amount of precipitation during the course of the year. Suva averages 3,000 mm of precipitation annually with its driest month, July averaging 125 mm of rain per year. In fact,...
, Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
.
Prime Minister of Tuvalu (2004-2006)
Prime Minister Saufatu SopoangaSaufatu Sopoanga
The Rt Hon Saufatu Sopoanga is a political figure from the Pacific nation of Tuvalu. Sopoanga was the eighth Prime Minister and a foreign minister of Tuvalu.-Background:...
resigned from Parliament on August 27, 2004, after his government was deposed in a no confidence vote. Toafa, who was Deputy Prime Minister at the time, became Acting Prime Minister as a result of Sopoanga's resignation from office.
Toafa was confirmed as Prime Minister on October 11, 2004, when Sopoanga was reelected to Parliament and Parliament reconvened to elect a new Prime Minister. Like all Tuvalu Prime Ministers, Toafa also became Minister of Foreign Affairs. Toafa was reelected to Parliament during the 2006 general election
Tuvaluan general election, 2006
General elections were held in Tuvalu on 3 August 2006 to elect fifteen members to the Parliament. All fifteen candidates elected were Independents, as there are no political parties in the country....
, but all of the members of his Cabinet were defeated.
Succession and subsequent career
On August 14, 2006 he was succeeded as Prime Minister by Apisai IelemiaApisai Ielemia
Apisai Ielemia is a Tuvaluan politician. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Tuvalu from 2006 to 2010.-Background:...
. Toafa continued to serve as a member of the Parliament of Tuvalu
Parliament of Tuvalu
The Parliament of Tuvalu is the unicameral national legislature in Tuvalu.-History and political culture:...
as the Leader of the Opposition
Leader of the Opposition
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest party not in government in a Westminster System of parliamentary government...
from 2006 until 2010.
Prime Minister of Tuvalu (2010)
Toafa was re-elected to Parliament from his NanumeaNanumea
Nanumea is the northwesternmost atoll in the Polynesian nation of Tuvalu, a group of nine coral atolls and islands spread over about four hundred miles of Pacific Ocean just south of the equator and west of the International Date Line.-Geography:...
constituency in the 2010 Tuvaluan general election
Tuvaluan general election, 2010
A parliamentary election was held in Tuvalu on 16 September 2010.Voters elected fifteen members of the Parliament to a four-year term. All candidates were independents, as there are no political parties in the country. Ten out of the fifteen incumbent members were re-elected. The remaining five...
.
A secret ballot
Secret ballot
The secret ballot is a voting method in which a voter's choices in an election or a referendum are anonymous. The key aim is to ensure the voter records a sincere choice by forestalling attempts to influence the voter by intimidation or bribery. The system is one means of achieving the goal of...
was held on September 29, 2010, aprroximately one and a half weeks after the general election, to determine the country's next Prime Minister. Incumbent Prime Minister Apisai Ielemia
Apisai Ielemia
Apisai Ielemia is a Tuvaluan politician. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Tuvalu from 2006 to 2010.-Background:...
, who had succeeded Toafa for the office in 2006, was not returned to second term. Toafa won the ballot with eight votes to become Tuvalu's next prime minister. Toafa narrowly defeated Kausea Natano, who received the votes of seven MPs in the ballot. The election results were announced by Governor-General
Governor-General of Tuvalu
The Governor-General of Tuvalu is the representative of Queen Elizabeth II as Queen of Tuvalu, the nation's Head of State, and performs the duties of the Queen in her absence.-History:...
Iakoba Italeli
Iakoba Italeli
Sir Iakoba Taeia Italeli, GCMG, is a politician and the current Governor General of Tuvalu .-Political office:From 2006 to 2010 he was Minister of Education and Sports, and Health, in the government of the Prime Minister of Tuvalu, Apisai Ielemia.-Constituency background:Italeli was elected to...
and Toafa took office the same day.
Upon taking office, he told Tuvalu News that his government would "work for human security ensuring the basic human needs" of the inhabitants of all nine islands and atolls, in particular by rapidly "build[ing] up the[ir] economic infrastructure". This would require partnerships with donor countries, which he would seek to expand. He would also "work aggressively on the world society to protect small countries" from the effects of climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
.
On December 21, 2010, Toafa and his government were toppled by a parliamentary motion of confidence, by eight votes to seven. His Minister of Home Affairs, Willy Telavi
Willy Telavi
Willy Telavi is a Tuvaluan politician. He became Prime Minister of Tuvalu on 24 December 2010.-Background:Telavi is from Nanumea. His career in the Tuvalu Police Force culminated in his appointment as Police Commissioner in 1993, a position he held for thirteen years...
, crossed the floor and enabled the Opposition to bring down the government. The motion was reportedly initiated due to MPs' concerns over certain aspects of the budget, in particular the prospect that the government may no longer fully fund patients' medical costs abroad. With a new Prime Minister due to be chosen on December 24, Toafa announced that he would not be standing for the job, but that he hoped his deputy and Foreign Affairs and Environment Minister, Enele Sopoaga
Enele Sopoaga
Enele Sosene Sopoaga is a Tuvaluan diplomat and politician. His 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...
, would be chosen by Parliament in his place.
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