Samuelu Penitala Teo (24 November 1957 – 13 November 2024) was 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. He was the son of Fiatau Penitala Teo who was appointed as the first

Governor General of Tuvalu The governor-general of Tuvalu is the representative of the Monarchy of Tuvalu, Tuvaluan monarch, currently Charles III, King Charles III, in the country of Tuvalu. The governor-general performs the monarch's duties in Tuvalu. The Constitutiona ...

(1978–1986) following independence from Great Britain. Samuelu Teo himself served as the Acting Governor-General of Tuvalu from January until 28 September 2021. He had succeeded Acting Governor-General Teniku Talesi and remained in office until the Rev. Tofiga Vaevalu Falani was sworn in as the 10th Governor-General in September 2021. He was born on 24 November 1957. His spouse was Miliaga Samuelu Teo.

Career

He was first elected to the

Parliament of Tuvalu The Parliament of Tuvalu (called ''Fale i Fono'' in Tuvaluan language, Tuvaluan, or ''Palamene o Tuvalu'') is the unicameral parliament, unicameral national legislature of Tuvalu. The place at which the parliament sits is called the ''Vaiaku man ...

at the 1998 general election to represent the constituency of

Niutao Niutao is a reef island in the northern part of Tuvalu. It is one of the nine districts (islands) of Tuvalu. It is also one of the three districts that consist of only one island — not counting the three islets inside the closed lagoon. Niuta ...

. He served as the Minister of Works, Energy and Communications in the governments led by Ionatana Ionatana (1999–2000) and Lagitupu Tuilimu (2000–2001). He was the Minister for Natural Resources in the governments led by Faimalaga Luka (2001) and Koloa Talake (2001–2002). He was re-elected in the 2002 Tuvaluan general election, then lost his seat in the 2006 Tuvaluan general election when the vote of the Tuvaluan electorate resulted in the election of 8 new members to the 15 member parliament. Samuelu Teo was again elected to represent

in the 2015 Tuvaluan general election. The 2015 election was strongly contested with six candidates including the two incumbent MPs ( Vete Sakaio and

Fauoa Maani Fauoa Maani MBE is a Tuvaluan politician. He worked as a journalist and served as clerk to the national Parliament, and was named Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2009, a title awarded to him in recognition of his "public se ...

) and three former MPs ( Tomu Sione, Tavau Teii and Teo). Following the

2019 Tuvaluan general election General elections were held in Tuvalu on 9 September 2019. There were 37 candidates seeking election to the Parliament, two of whom were women: Valisi Alimau, who was contesting in the Nukufetau electorate, and Puakena Boreham who was seeking re ...

, on 19 September 2019, the members of parliament elected

Kausea Natano Kausea Natano (born 5 July 1957) is a politician who served as the Prime Minister of Tuvalu from 19 September 2019 to 26 February 2024. He represented Funafuti as a Member of Parliament. He was first elected in the 2002 Tuvaluan general electio ...

from

Funafuti Funafuti is an atoll, comprising numerous islets, that serves as the capital of Tuvalu. As of the 2017 census, it has a population of 6,320 people. More people live in Funafuti than the rest of Tuvalu combined, with it containing approximately 6 ...

as prime minister; and Teo was elected as

Speaker of the Parliament of Tuvalu The Speaker of the Parliament of Tuvalu is the Chairman, presiding officer of the Parliament of Tuvalu. The annual salary of the speaker is Australian dollar, AU$ 44,004 / US$ 28,900 per year. List of speakers References

{{Reflist Politi ...

. He was not re-elected in the

2024 Tuvaluan general election General elections were held in Tuvalu on 26 January 2024. There are no political parties in Tuvalu and all candidates run as independents. Two major issues in the election were the Falepili Union treaty, which requiries both Tuvalu and Aust ...

. His brother Feleti Penitala Teo was elected to represent Niutao in the 2024 general election, and was elected as prime minister.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Teo, Samuelu Penitala Governors-general of Tuvalu Members of the Parliament of Tuvalu People from Niutao 1957 births 2024 deaths Speakers of the Parliament of Tuvalu