cation expenditures:

NA

Government
Tokelau

Country name:

conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Tokelau

Dependency status:

self-administering territory of New Zealand; note - Tokelau and New
Zealand have agreed to a draft constitution as Tokelau moves toward
free association with New Zealand; a UN sponsored referendum on self
governance in October 2007 did not produce the two-thirds majority
vote necessary for changing the political status

Government type:

NA

Capital:

none; each atoll has its own administrative center
time difference: UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

none (territory of New Zealand)

Independence:

none (territory of New Zealand)

National holiday:

Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty
over New Zealand), 6 February (1840)

Constitution:

administered under the Tokelau Islands Act of 1948; amended in 1970

Legal system:

New Zealand and local statutes

Suffrage:

21 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952);
represented by Governor General of New Zealand Anand SATYANAND
(since 23 August 2006); New Zealand is represented by Administrator
David PAYTON (since 17 October 2006)
head of government: Pio TUIA (since 23 February 2008); note -
position rotates annually among the three Faipule (village leaders)
cabinet: the Council for the Ongoing Government of Tokelau,
consisting of three Faipule (village leaders) and three Pulenuku
(village mayors), functions as a cabinet
elections: the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade in New Zealand; the head of
government is chosen from the Council of Faipule and serves a
one-year term

Legislative branch:

unicameral General Fono (20 seats; based upon proportional
representation from the three islands elected by popular vote to
serve three-year terms; Atafu has seven seats, Fakaofo has seven
seats, Nukunonu has six seats); note - the Tokelau Amendment Act of
1996 confers limited legislative power on the General Fono
elections: last held 17-19 January 2008 (next to be held in 2011)
election results: independents 20

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court in New Zealand exercises civil and criminal
jurisdiction in Tokelau

Political parties and leaders:

none

Political pressur