Monarch Elizabeth II Role Political figure Governor-General Tomasi Puapua Succeeded by Saufatu Sopoanga | Preceded by Faimalaga Luka Resigned August 2, 2002 Name Koloa Talake | |
Born June 7, 1934 (age 89)
Vaitupu, Gilbert and Ellice Islands ( 1934-06-07 ) | ||
The Rt Hon Koloa Talake (7 June 1934 – 26 May 2008) was a political figure from the Pacific nation of Tuvalu. He represented the constituency of Vaitupu in the Parliament of Tuvalu. He served as finance minister and was the prime minister for a short period of time.
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Prime Minister of Tuvalu
Talake served as the seventh Prime Minister of Tuvalu for nine months, 14 December 2001 – 2 August 2002, after defeating Faimalaga Luka in a vote of no confidence.
Talake was defeated in elections in 2002.
Significant issues during premiership
In that time, he negotiated the sale of that country's Internet domain name, .tv, to an American company in order to bring an income to his resource-poor country.
In 2002, he coordinated an effort, together with the leaders of two other small island nations, Kiribati and Maldives to sue the governments of the United States and Australia for failing to ratify the Kyoto Protocol and for their greenhouse gas emissions, which the leaders claimed, resulted in rising sea levels that would eventually flood their countries.
Succession and later life
Talake was not re-elected in the Tuvaluan general election, 2002 and was succeeded as Prime Minister of Tuvalu by Saufatu Sopoanga.
Having left office in 2002, Talake relocated to Auckland, New Zealand, where his children were living.