Feleti Teo named as new Tuvalu prime minister

Tuvalu, with a population of about 11,200 spread across nine islands, is one of three remaining Pacific allies of Taiwan after Nauru cut ties in January and switched to Beijing, which had promised more development help.

Congratulations to Hon. Feleti Teo, who was elected unopposed as Tuvalu's new Prime Minister this morning. It is the first time in our history that a Prime Minister has been nominated unopposed. The inauguration of the PM and Cabinet Ministers will take place this week. — Simon Kofe (@Simon_Kofe) pic.twitter.com/gmNmku2KSGFebruary 25, 2024

Teo received unanimous support from the 16 MPs, officials told Reuters on Monday. 

Teo, who was educated in New Zealand and Australia, was Tuvalu's first attorney-general and has decades of experience as a senior official in the fisheries industry - the region's biggest revenue earner.

"Feleti Teo was declared by the governor-general as prime minister for Tuvalu," Tuvalu election official Tufoua Panapa said in an emailed statement.

Tuvalu MP Simon Kofe congratulated Teo in a post on social media platform X.

"It is the first time in our history that a prime minister has been nominated unopposed," he said.

Only one nomination had been sent to the Governor General before the formal vote by MPs on Monday morning.

Former Tuvalu prime minister Kausea Natano lost his seat in a January 26 general election. (AP PHOTO)

The election result in Tuvalu had been delayed by three weeks as dangerous weather stopped boats from bringing new MPs to the capital to vote for prime minister, highlighting why climate change has become the top political issue in the Pacific Islands nation.

Taiwan's foreign ministry said its ambassador to Tuvalu, Andrew Lin, expressed Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen's congratulations to Teo and Deputy Foreign Minister Tien Chung-kwang would visit Tuvalu soon.

Teo was a friend of Taiwan's who had visited many times, the ministry said, adding relations were stable and maintaining ties was the widespread consensus in Tuvalu.

Taiwan previously said it was paying close attention to the election after Tuvalu's finance minister in the previous government, Seve Paeniu, said the issue of diplomatic recognition of Taiwan or China should be debated by the new government.

There had also been calls by some MPs to review a wide-ranging deal signed with Australia in November that allows Canberra to vet Tuvalu's police, port and telecommunication co-operation with other nations in return for a defence guarantee and permitting citizens threatened by rising seas to migrate.

The deal was seen as a bid to curb China's rising influence as an infrastructure provider in the Pacific Islands.

Teo's position on Taiwan ties and the Australian security and migration pact has not been made public.

Tuvalu's ministry would be announced this week at an oath-taking ceremony for the new government, Panapa said.