| The Right Honourable Maatia Toafa MP |
|
|---|---|
| Prime Minister of Tuvalu | |
| In office 29 September 2010 – 24 December 2010 |
|
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor General | Iakoba Italeli |
| Preceded by | Apisai Ielemia |
| Succeeded by | Willy Telavi |
| In office 27 August 2004 – 14 August 2006 |
|
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor General | Faimalaga Luka |
| Preceded by | Saufatu Sopoanga |
| Succeeded by | Apisai Ielemia |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1954 (age 57–58) |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse(s) | Pulafagau Toafa |
Maatia Toafa (born 1954) is a Tuvaluan 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,[1] and lost it following a motion of confidence on December 21 of the same year.[2]
Prior to entering domestic Tuvaluan politics, Toafa worked for the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in Suva, Fiji.
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Prime Minister Saufatu Sopoanga 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.
United Nations
[3]On Friday 16th September 2005, Toafa represented Tuvalu at the UN '2005 World Summit' discussing the problems faced by Small Island Developing States (SIDS), citing a lack of financial and technical access, Environmental security and infrastructural capacity. Toafa argued for the presence of permament United Nations, activity in 'isolated' SIDS countries such as Tuvalu.
On August 14, 2006 he was succeeded as Prime Minister by Apisai Ielemia. Toafa continued to serve as a member of the Parliament of Tuvalu as the Leader of the Opposition from 2006 until 2010.[1]
Toafa was re-elected to Parliament from his Nanumea constituency in the 2010 Tuvaluan general election.[4]
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.[5] 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.[1] Toafa narrowly defeated Kausea Natano, who received the votes of seven MPs in the ballot.[1] The election results were announced by Governor-General Iakoba Italeli and Toafa took office the same day.[1]
[6]On October 5, 2010 a week after his appointment as Prime Minister, Toafa was interviewed on Radio Australia by presenter Geraldine Coutts. Asked if the 15 member parliament had become more stable, after the election of five new MP'S Toafa replied (in reference to his new 8 member cabinet including 5 new MPS) 'Yeah, I think the idea is to get the number right, meaning turn five because 15 altogether. Yeah, once I get the number right, then things can be more stabilised'. He also talked of the challenges the country faced due to the effects of climate change citing coral bleaching, changing weather patterns, water degradation and the effects of increased water salinity upon agriculture as evidence.
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.[7]
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.[2] 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.[8]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Saufatu Sopoanga |
Prime Minister of Tuvalu 2004–2006 |
Succeeded by Apisai Ielemia |
| Preceded by Apisai Ielemia |
Prime Minister of Tuvalu 2010 |
Succeeded by Willy Telavi |
|
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