A constitutional referendum was held inTuvalu on 30 April 2008.[1] The referendum sought toabolish themonarchy of Tuvalu and establish the country as arepublic. Had the referendum passed, the new president would have been indirectly elected by theParliament of Tuvalu.
The referendum failed, with 679 votes in favour of establishing a republic and 1,260 votes to retain the monarchy.[2] As a consequence, Tuvalu remained a monarchy, andElizabeth II remained head of state. Turnout for the referendum was low. Only 1,939 voters cast valid ballots, out of the approximately 9,000 voting-aged Tuvaluans. In comparison, 8,501 votes were cast in the 2006 parliamentary election.[1] Aprevious referendum on becoming a republic in 1986 was also rejected.
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