The former attorney general is named the new prime minister after a general election that ousted the island's pro-Taiwan leader.
Tuvalu lawmakers named former attorney general Feleti Teo as the Pacific island nation's new prime minister, weeks after a general election that put the country's ties with Taiwan in the spotlight.
In a statement on Monday, the Tuvalu government said Teo was the only candidate nominated by his 15 fellow lawmakers and was declared elected without a vote.
The swearing-in ceremony for Teo and his cabinet will take place later this week.
Teo's elevation to prime minister comes after his pro-Taiwan predecessor Kausea Natano lost his seat in the Jan. 26 election.
Natano wanted Tuvalu – home to a population of about 11,200 people – to remain one of 12 countries that have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, the autonomous island that China claims as its own territory.
Natano's former finance minister, Seve Paeniu, considered a leadership candidate, had said the issue of diplomatic recognition of Taiwan or China should be debated by the new government.
The comments sparked concern in Taiwan, especially since Tuvalu's neighbor Nauru recently severed diplomatic relations with Taipei in favor of Beijing, which had promised more development aid.
Some Tuvalu lawmakers had also called for a review of a sweeping defense and migration agreement signed with Australia in November. The agreement allows Canberra to examine Tuvalu's police, port and telecommunications cooperation with other countries, in exchange for a defense guarantee and allowing citizens threatened by rising sea levels to emigrate to Australia.
The deal was seen as an effort to curb China's growing influence as an infrastructure provider in the Pacific islands.
Teo's position on relations with Taiwan and Australia's security and migration pact has not been made public.
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 fishing industry, the region's largest source of income.
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 appointed without opposition,” he said.
The appointment of the new prime minister was delayed by persistent bad weather that left several lawmakers stranded on the country's outer islands and unable to reach the capital.
Jess Marinaccio, assistant professor of Pacific Studies at California State University, told the AFP news agency that it was too early to say whether Teo would maintain ties with Taiwan.
But international relations will be high on the list of issues for the new Teo government, he said.
“It will definitely be something they talk about. They also have to elect high commissioners and ambassadors, so Taiwan will be there,” she said.
“It will be a high priority, along with climate change and telecommunications, because the coverage in Tuvalu is not fantastic.”
