Teo secured the support of lawmakers who were elected last month and was declared prime minister by the governor general, government secretary Tufoua Panapa said in an emailed statement. 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.
Tuvalu lawmaker Simon Kofe congratulated Teo in a social media post. “It is the first time in our history that a prime minister has been nominated unopposed,” he said.
‘What’s next’ as China’s Pacific island diplomatic wins mount?
‘What’s next’ as China’s Pacific island diplomatic wins mount?
Only one nomination had been sent to the governor general, before the formal vote by the lawmakers on Monday morning.
Taiwan earlier 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 should be debated by the new government.
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‘King tides’ devastate Tuvalu capital, delay prime minister election
‘King tides’ devastate Tuvalu capital, delay prime minister election
The deal was seen as an effort to curb China’s rising influence as an infrastructure provider in the Pacific.
Teo’s position on Taiwan ties, and the Australian security and migration pact, have not been made public.
Jess Marinaccio, an assistant professor in Pacific studies at California State University, said it was too early to say whether Teo would maintain ties with Taiwan.
I don’t think anybody knows, because he hasn’t been in government for a long time
“I don’t think anybody knows, because he hasn’t been in government for a long time,” Marinaccio said. “The positions he has worked in were ones where he had to deal with countries which did and didn’t have relations with Taiwan, so he has probably had to be fairly even about that … He couldn’t express an opinion either way, so we don’t have an idea whether he leans one way or the other.”
Marinaccio said international relations would be high on the list of issues for Teo’s new government.
“It will definitely be something they talk about. They also have to choose high commissioners and ambassadors, so Taiwan will be in there,” she said.
“It will be a high priority, along with climate change and telecommunications, because the coverage in Tuvalu is not fantastic.”
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse