[2] The maneapa on each island is an open meeting place where the chiefs and elders deliberate and make decisions.

The Ellice Islands came under Britain's sphere of influence in the late 19th century, when they were declared a British protectorate by Captain Gibson R.N.

With the creation in 1970 of a Legislative Council where only 4 members were from Ellice Islands constituencies, the idea of a separation between the two archipelagoes became stronger.

Following independence in October 1978 the House of the Assembly was renamed officially the Fale i Fono (unofficially translated by Palamene o Tuvalu).

The parliament was dissolved in July 1978 and thereafter the government of Toaripi Lauti was acting in a caretaker capacity only until the 1981 Tuvaluan general election was held.

[14][15] The changes placed greater emphasis on Tuvaluan community values rather than Western concepts of individual entitlement.

The governor-general Iakoba Italeli then proceeded to exercise his reserve powers to order Mr Telavi's removal and appoint Enele Sopoaga as interim prime minister.

[19][20] The Governor General also ordered that Parliament sit on Friday 2 August to allow a vote of no confidence in Mr Telavi and his government.

[22] When Falekaupule attempted to enforce these directives through legal action, the High Court determined that the Constitution is structured around the concept of a parliamentary democracy;[23] and that "[o]ne of the most fundamental aspects of parliamentary democracy is that, whilst a person is elected to represent the people of the district from which he is elected, he is not bound to act in accordance with the directives of the electorate either individually or as a body.

Should he lose the confidence of the electorate, he cannot be obliged to resign and he can only be removed for one of the reasons set out in sections 96 to 99 of the Constitution.

[11] The under-representation of women in the Tuvalu parliament was considered in a report commissioned by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in 2005.

[35] This followed the example of Papua New Guinea, which had only one female MP at that time, and whose Parliament was considering a bill to introduce 22 seats reserved for women.

[36] Throughout the history of the parliament three women have been elected: Naama Maheu Latasi, from 1989 to 1997; Pelenike Isaia from 2011 to 2015; and Dr Puakena Boreham from 2015 to 2024.

[41] Significant changes to the composition of the parliament include the incumbent Prime Minister Kausea Natano, as well as Puakena Boreham – the only female member of the legislature – not retaining their seats.

[41][42] The former Governor General Sir Iakoba Italeli Taeia was elected as an MP and also Feleti Teo, who was the former Executive Director of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC).

[42][44][43] No candidates contested the sitting MPs Seve Paeniu and Namoliki Sualiki in the electorate of Nukulaelae, so they were automatically returned to parliament.

[47][48] On 27 February, Sir Iakoba Italeli was elected as the Speaker of the Parliament of Tuvalu in an uncontested ballot.