- Ionatana Ionatana
The Rt Hon Ionatana Ionatana CVO, OBE (1938? -
December 8 ,2000 ), was a political figure from thePacific nation ofTuvalu . He wasPrime Minister of Tuvalu fromApril 27 ,1999 , toDecember 8 ,2000 .Background
Ionatana served in the country's Parliament from Tuvalu's independence in 1978 until his death. He held many portfolios during his political career, including government secretary, Minister of Education, and Minister of Works and Communications. Ionatana was somewhat noted for his
republican leanings.Prime Minister of Tuvalu
In 1999 Ionatana succeeded
Bikenibeu Paeniu as Prime Minister ofTuvalu . Among the prominent issues of his perod of office, he oversaw Tuvalu's entry into theUnited Nations onSeptember 5 , 2000.Death
In the year 2000, as Prime Minister, Ionatana died in office, the first time this had occurred since
Tuvalu became independent.ee also
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Foreign relations of Tuvalu
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