Lawmakers in Tuvalu are to elect a new prime minister on Monday, the election commissioner said, a month after the Pacific nation went to the polls.
Stormy weather and rough seas had prevented several lawmakers from traveling by boat from outer islands to the capital, Funafuti, to select a new leader.
All 16 elected members, who won their seats in elections last month, have now reached the capital after a boat bringing the final few arrived on Thursday.
Photo: AFP
Election commissioner Tufoua Panapa said that nominations would close tomorrow, with the vote to elect the new prime minister to be held on Monday at 11am.
“The governor-general will release the result straight after the election,” Panapa said.
Tuvalu’s Jan. 26 vote was closely watched in Beijing, Washington and Taipei amid rumors a new government could switch diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China.
Until a new government is formed, pro-Taiwan Tuvaluan Prime Minister Kausea Natano, who lost his seat in the Funafuti constituency, remains in charge in a caretaker role.
After a new prime minister is chosen, there is speculation that Tuvalu — one of just 12 UN member states that formally recognize Taiwan — could flip its allegiance to China.
Neighboring Nauru severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of China last month, feeding rumors Tuvalu could follow.
Beijing has already poached some of Taiwan’s Pacific allies, convincing the Solomon Islands and Kiribati to switch recognition in 2019, before Nauru did the same.
Ahead of the election, Tuvaluan Minister of Finance Seve Paeniu floated the idea of the nation reviewing its diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
With no formal political parties, the process of selecting a prime minister and potentially changing government had already been expected to be slow, before bad weather forced further delays.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS