- Saufatu Sopoanga
The Rt Hon Saufatu Sopoanga is a political figure from the
Pacific nation ofTuvalu . Sopoanga is a former Prime Minister and foreign minister ofTuvalu .Background
A member of the
Parliament of Tuvalu for the constituency ofNukufetau , Sopoanga served as Finance Minister.Prime Minister of Tuvalu
Sopoanga was elected
Prime Minister of Tuvalu by MPs on2 August 2002 after the general election in which previous prime ministerKoloa Talake lost his seat.In Tuvalu the Prime Minister is also the Foreign Minister.There are no political parties in Tuvalu. Sapoanga had a shifting alliance of MPs who supported him, and there was also an opposition group against him. Both Sapoanga's group and the opposition group were plagued by defections. On
August 26 ,2004 , while one of the 15 Members of Parliament was sick inNew Zealand and another had defected from Sapoanga's group, the opposition finally deposed Sapoanga in a no confidence vote, 8-6.Resignation and subsequent career
On
August 27 ,2004 , Sapoanga resigned from Parliament, and was no longer Prime Minister. He was re-elected to Parliament in October 2004, by a 420-361 vote in his electoral district. ofNukufetau island.In the cabinet of his successor,
Maatia Toafa , he held the position of Deputy Prime Minister, as well as Minister for Communications & Transport and Minister for Works & Energy. At the August 2006 parliamentary elections he lost his seat in Parliament, and thus also his position in the cabinet.ee also
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Politics of Tuvalu
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