Parliament of Tuvalu
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The Parliament of Tuvalu (Fale i Fono, also sometimes known as the House of Assembly) is the unicameral national legislature in Tuvalu. It was first established when Tuvalu separated from the Gilbert and Ellice Islands in 1975, three years before it officially gained independence. The Parliament of Tuvalu is rare among national legislatures in that it is nonpartisan in nature. It does tend to have both a distinct government and distinct opposition, but members often cross the floor between the two groups, resulting in a number of mid-term changes of government in recent years.
The parliament has fifteen members, each of which serve a four-year term. Each member is elected by popular vote one of eight island-based constituencies, seven of which elect two members, and one which elects only one member. Universal suffrage exists for those over eighteen years of age. The parliament is responsible for nominating the Prime Minister of Tuvalu from among their ranks, who serves as head of the government. The Prime Minister then nominates four other members to serve in the governing Cabinet. The members of parliament also nominate a speaker of parliament, who presides over the parliament itself.
Any member of parliament may introduce legislation into parliament, but in practice, as in most partisan systems, this occurs mainly at the behest of the governing Cabinet. Legislation undergoes first, second and third readings before being presented to the Governor-General of Tuvalu for assent, as in other Westminister systems. One notable variation, however, means that legislation is constitutionally required to be presented to local governments (falekaupules) for review after the first reading; they may then propose amendments through their local member of parliament.
Elections for the parliament were last held on August 3, 2006. The 2006 elections marked a noticeable change, with eight of the fifteen members being defeated, including the entire cabinet of then-Prime Minister Maatia Toafa. He was subsequently toppled and replaced by Apisai Ielemia.
