Taom Tanukale is a Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Tuvalu , formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, midway between Hawaii and Australia. Its nearest neighbours are Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa and Fiji. It comprises four reef islands and five true atolls...

an politician.

He began his career in national politics when he was elected to Parliament

Parliament of Tuvalu

The Parliament of Tuvalu is the unicameral national legislature in Tuvalu.-History and political culture:...

 in a bye-election in May 2005, as MP

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 for Nui

Nui

Nui is an atoll and one of nine districts of the Pacific Ocean state of Tuvalu. It has a land area of 3.37 km² and a population of 548 .-Geography:Nui consists of at least 21 islets...

, following the death of his predecessor. He joined Prime Minister

Prime Minister of Tuvalu

The Prime Minister of Tuvalu is the head of government of Tuvalu. According to Tuvalu's constitution, the Prime Minister must always be a member of Parliament, and is elected by Parliament in a secret ballot. Because there are no political parties in Tuvalu, any member of Parliament can be...

 Maatia Toafa

Maatia Toafa

Maatia Toafa is a Tuvaluan politician, representing Nanumea who served two non-consecutive terms as Prime Minister of Tuvalu. He first served as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2006, from the resignation of his predecessor, Saufatu Sopoanga, until the defeat of his Cabinet in the 2006 general election...

's parliamentary majority, and was appointed acting Minister for Health and Education, "while the incumbent went overseas for long-term medical treatment".

He failed to retain his seat in the August 2006 general election

Tuvaluan general election, 2006

General elections were held in Tuvalu on 3 August 2006 to elect fifteen members to the Parliament. All fifteen candidates elected were Independents, as there are no political parties in the country....

, but regained it in the September 2010 general election

Tuvaluan general election, 2010

A parliamentary election was held in Tuvalu on 16 September 2010.Voters elected fifteen members of the Parliament to a four-year term. All candidates were independents, as there are no political parties in the country. Ten out of the fifteen incumbent members were re-elected. The remaining five...

. In December of that year, Prime Minister Maatia Toafa was ousted in a motion of no confidence

Motion of no confidence

A motion of no confidence is a parliamentary motion whose passing would demonstrate to the head of state that the elected parliament no longer has confidence in the appointed government.-Overview:Typically, when a parliament passes a vote of no...

. Tanukale supported Toafa's opponent, Willy Telavi

Willy Telavi

Willy Telavi is a Tuvaluan politician. He became Prime Minister of Tuvalu on 24 December 2010.-Background:Telavi is from Nanumea. His career in the Tuvalu Police Force culminated in his appointment as Police Commissioner in 1993, a position he held for thirteen years...

, who became Prime Minister and appointed him as Minister for Health.