Anote Tong
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Anote Tong | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office July 10, 2003 |
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| Preceded by | Tion Otang |
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| Succeeded by | Incumbent |
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| Born | 1952 Birthplace ? |
| Political party | Pillars of Truth (Boutokaan Te Koaua) |
| Spouse | Meme Tong |
Anote Tong (in Chinese, 湯安諾; pinyin: Tāng Ānnuò — his family name is of Chinese origin but it is now considered as Gilbertese by Kiribati people) (born 1952) is the president of Kiribati. He won the election in July 2003 with a slim plurality of votes cast (47.4%) against his brother, Dr. Harry Tong (43.5%) and the private lawyer Banuera Berina (9.1%).[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.
The son of a Chinese migrant who settled in the Gilberts after World War II and of a Gilbertese woman, he graduated from the London School of Economics.
During the campaign, he promised to review the lease of a spy and satellite tracking base used by the People's Republic of China and "to take appropriate actions at the right time." On November 7, he established relations with the Republic of China on Taiwan, which led the People's Republic of China to sever relations and vacate its satellite base nearly a month later. He is married to a Kiribati woman named Meme and has seven children.
