Tuvalu
Tuvalu is a small Pacific Islands nation that consists of nine atolls, with a total landmass of only 26 square kilometers (10 square miles). There are about 10,000 people living in the country. Tuvalu is a full member of the Commonwealth of the United Kingdom and joined the United Nations in 2000.
Tuvalu's long-term prospects are threatened by global climate change and an accompanying rise in the sea level. Tuvalu's atolls are low-lying and already have suffered adverse consequences, including degradation of water supplies and damage to housing and agriculture. The government has sought support from Australia and New Zealand for the eventual resettlement of the people of Tuvalu in case a further rise in the sea level renders the islands uninhabitable.
The Government
Tuvalu is a parliamentary democracy organized along the lines of the British system of government. The executive consists of a prime minister and cabinet that are accountable to the fifteen-member parliament. The head of state is the reigning British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II (b. 1926). Parliamentary elections are held every four years. In 1982 Tuvalu's parliament established a committee to review the independence constitution. After four years of consultations a new constitution was adopted in 1986, leaving the basic structure of the system of government intact but incorporating new statements about the importance of Tuvaluan culture and customs as foundations of the state and its laws.
Tuvalu had been a British protectorate since 1892 and, as the Ellice Islands, became part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony in 1916. As the British prepared the colony for independence, the Tuvaluans, who were in the minority in the colony, decided to seek separation. In mid-1974 a referendum was held that produced a 92 percent vote in favor of secession. On October 1, 1975, the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony was dissolved, and a separate Tuvalu Colony was established. A draft constitution was approved in 1977, and after the adoption of the final draft of the constitution in 1978 Tuvalu gained its independence on October 1, 1978.
(MAP BY MARYLAND CARTOGRAPHICS/THE GALE GROUP)Tuvalu was led to self-government and independence by Toaripi Lauti (b. 1928), who became its first prime minister and later became governor-general. A successor, Bikenibeu Paeniu (b. 1956), who served two nonconsecutive terms, played a major role in placing the issues of global warming and a rise in the sea level, with their implications for low-lying island states, on the international agenda.
Political Life Under the Regime
There are no formal political parties in Tuvalu. Temporary alliances in the parliament are formed around personalities and specific issues that prove particularly important after parliamentary elections, when the parliament convenes to elect a prime minister.
Tuvalu can be regarded as a stable democracy, as several peaceful transitions of office have occurred since independence. Frequent leadership changes since 2000 have led to proposals for the direct election by citizens of their prime minister. There also have been calls for Tuvalu to move to become a republic, severing its formal ties with the British Crown.
Tuvalu has an independent judiciary, and its elections have been regarded as both free and fair. The U.S. State Department's global human rights report has always assessed Tuvalu's human rights record very favorably. The country's small size and traditional character have an influence on social behavior, with customs and traditions regarded as being as important as the law and enforceable by village elders and informal village norms.
Parliamentary Systems.
Bibliography
Knapman, Bruce, Malcolm Ponton, and Colin Hunt. Tuvalu: 2002 Economic and Public Sector Review. Manila, Philippines: Asian Development Bank, 2002.
Levine, Stephen. "Constitutional Change in Tuvalu." Australian Journal of Political Science 27 (1992):492–509.
Somoza, Alexander. "Tuvalu". In Elections in Asia and the Pacific: A Data Handbook, Volume II, ed. Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz, and Christof Hartmann. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2001.
Tuvalu Online. <http://www.tuvaluislands.com/&# x003E;.
U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. "Tuvalu." Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2002. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of State, 2002. <http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/ hrrpt/2002/18268.htm>.
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