Monise Laafai is a

Tuvalu Tuvalu ( ) is an island country in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean, about midway between Hawaii and Australia. It lies east-northeast of the Santa Cruz Islands (which belong to the Solomon Islands), northeast of Van ...

an politician and businessman. He stood for

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

for the first time at the 2010 general election, and was elected MP for the constituency of Nanumaga. He supported Maatia Toafa's successful bid for the premiership, and was subsequently appointed to Cabinet, as Minister of Finance. He lost office just three months later, when Toafa's government was brought down by a

motion of no confidence A motion or vote of no confidence (or the inverse, a motion or vote of confidence) is a motion and corresponding vote thereon in a deliberative assembly (usually a legislative body) as to whether an officer (typically an executive) is deemed fi ...

. Laafai is also General Manager of the Tuvalu Co-operative Society, a position he has held since the late 1990s. He was also chef de mission of the Tuvaluan delegation to the 2007 Pacific Games in

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

."Tuvalu flag raised"
Tuvalu News, 25 August 2007 On 5 August 2013 Monise Laafai was appointed Minister for Communications and Transport; and served as the minister during the

Sopoaga Ministry The Sopoaga Ministry was the 14th Ministry (collective executive), ministry of the Government of Tuvalu, led by Prime Minister of Tuvalu, Prime Minister Enele Sopoaga. It succeeds the Telavi Ministry upon its swearing in by Governor-General of Tu ...

. He was re-elected in the 2019 general election; and again in the 2024 Tuvaluan general election.

References

Ministers of finance of Tuvalu Members of the Parliament of Tuvalu People from Nanumanga Living people Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century Tuvaluan people {{Tuvalu-politician-stub