Maatia Toafa was a Tuvaluan politician, representing Nanumea, who served two non-consecutive terms as Prime Minister of Tuvalu.
19 Facts About Maatia Toafa
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Maatia Toafa first served as prime minister, and foreign minister, from 2004 to 2006, from the resignation of his predecessor, Saufatu Sopoanga, until the defeat of his Cabinet in the 2006 general election.
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Maatia Toafa was re-elected to parliament in the 2010 general election; and regained the premiership on 29 September 2010; however he lost the support of the parliament following a motion of confidence on 21 December of the same year.
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On 5 August 2013 Toafa became the Minister of Finance and Economic Development in the government of Prime Minister Enele Sopoaga.
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Maatia Toafa was appointed as deputy prime minister following the 2015 Tuvaluan general election.
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Maatia Toafa was not re-elected in the 2019 general election.
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Maatia Toafa, who was deputy prime minister at the time, became acting prime minister as a result of Sopoanga's resignation from office.
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Maatia Toafa was confirmed as prime minister on 11 October 2004 with a vote of 8:7, Maatia Toafa became Minister of Foreign Affairs.
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On Friday 16 September 2005, Maatia Toafa represented Tuvalu at the UN '2005 World Summit' discussing the problems faced by Small Island Developing States, citing a lack of financial and technical access, Environmental security and infrastructural capacity.
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Maatia Toafa argued for the presence of permanent United Nations, activity in 'isolated' SIDS countries such as Tuvalu.
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Maatia Toafa was reelected to Parliament during the 2006 general election, but all of the members of his Cabinet were defeated.
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Maatia Toafa continued to serve as a member of the Parliament of Tuvalu as the Leader of the Opposition from 2006 until 2010.
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Maatia Toafa was re-elected to Parliament from his Nanumea constituency in the 2010 Tuvaluan general election.
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Maatia Toafa won the ballot with eight votes to become Tuvalu's next prime minister.
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Maatia Toafa narrowly defeated Kausea Natano, who received the votes of seven MPs in the ballot.
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The election results were announced by Governor-General Iakoba Italeli and Maatia Toafa took office the same day.
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On 5 October 2010 a week after his appointment as prime minister, Maatia Toafa was interviewed on Radio Australia by presenter Geraldine Coutts.
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Maatia Toafa talked of the challenges the country faced due to the effects of climate change citing coral bleaching, changing weather patterns, water degradation and the effects of increased water salinity upon agriculture as evidence.
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Maatia Toafa was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2014 New Year Honours list "for public and community service".