Government & politics — Tuvalu
Government structure, legal system, citizenship, and international relations.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Government & politics at a glance
Government structure, legal system, citizenship, and international relations. Key figure for Tuvalu: none
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Identity & names
- Full Country Name
none
- Country Name
Tuvalu
- Local - Long
none
- Local - Short
Tuvalu
- Former Name
Ellice Islands
- Etymology- history of name
"tuvalu" means "group of eight" or "eight standing together" referring to the country's eight traditionally inhabited islands
- Independence
1 October 1978 (from the UK)
- National Holiday
Independence Day, 1 October (1978)
Political system
- Government Type
parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
- Constitution
- history: previous 1978 (at independence);
- latest effective 1 October 1986 amendments: proposed by the House of Assembly; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly membership in the final reading; amended 2007, 2010, 2013, 2023
- Legal System:
mixed legal system of English common law and local customary law
- Executive Branch:
- chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General To
- figa Vaevalu FALANI (since 29 August 2021) head of government: Prime
- Minister Feleti Penitala TEO (since 27 February 2024) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general o
- n recommendation of the prime minister elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on recommendation of the prime minister; prime minister and deputy prime minister elected by and from members of House o
- f Assembly following parliamentary elections election results: 2019: Kausea NATANO elected prime minister by House of Assembly; House of Assembly vote - 10 to 6
- Legislative Branch:
Description
unicameral House of Assembly or Fale I Fono (16 seats; members directly elected in single- and multi-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms)
Elections
last held on 26 January 2024 (next to be held in January 2028)
Election Results
- percent of vote - NA
- seats - independent 16
- composition as of February 2024 - 16 men, 0 women, percentage women 0%
- Judicial Branch:
- highest court(s): Court of Appeal (consists of the chief justice and not less than 3 appeals judges); High Court (consists of the chief justice); appeals beyond the Court of Appeal are heard by the Judicial Committee of the
- Privy Council (in London) judge selection and term of office: Court of Appeal judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the Cabinet; judge tenure based on terms of appointment; High Court chief justice appointed by the governor general on the advice of the Cabinet; chief justice serves for life; other judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the Cabinet after consultation with chief justice;
- judge tenure set by terms of appointment subordinate courts: magistrates' courts; island courts; land courts
- Regions or States:
7 island councils and 1 town council*; Funafuti*, Nanumaga, Nanumea, Niutao, Nui, Nukufetau, Nukulaelae, Vaitupu
- Political Parties and Leaders:
- there are no political parties, but members of parliament usually align themselves in informal groupings
- Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
- Citizenship Criteria:
- yes citizenship by descent: yes; for a child born abroad, at least one p
- yes residency requirement for naturalization: na
Capital & time
- Capital Name
- Funafuti
- note - the capital is an atoll of some 29 islets
- administrative offices are in Vaiaku Village on Fongafale Islet
- Capital - geographic coordinate
8 31 S, 179 13 E
- Capital Time Difference
UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
International role
- International Organization Participation:
ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, FAO, IBRD, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS (observer), ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
- International Law Organization Participation:
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
- Diplomatic Representation from US:
embassy
the US does not have an embassy in Tuvalu; the US Ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Tuvalu
- Diplomatic Representation in the US:
chief of mission
Ambassador Tapugao FALEFOU (since 19 April 2023); note - also Permanent Representative to UN
chancery
685 Third Avenue, Suite 1104, New York, NY 10017
telephone
[1] (212) 490-0534
FAX
[1] (212) 808-4975
Email address and website
- tuvalumission.un@gmail.com
- https://www.un.int/tuvalu/about