POLITICIANS from Kiribati

Top 3

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary I-Kiribati Politicians of all time. This list of famous I-Kiribati Politicians is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Anote Tong (1952 - )

With an HPI of 52.25, Anote Tong is the most famous I-Kiribati Politician.  His biography has been translated into 37 different languages on wikipedia.

Anote Tong (simplified Chinese: 汤安诺; traditional Chinese: 湯安諾; pinyin: Tāng Ānnuò; born 11 June 1952 in Tabuaeran, Line Islands) is an I-Kiribati politician for the Pillars of Truth party and environmental activist with half Chinese heritage, who served as the fourth president of Kiribati, from 2003 to 2016. He won the election in July 2003 with a slim plurality of votes cast (47.4%) against his older brother, Harry Tong (43.5%) and the private lawyer Banuera Berina (9.1%). The elections were contested by the opposition, due to allegations of electoral fraud but the High Court of Tarawa had confirmed that there was no fraud. He was re-elected on 17 October 2007 for a second term (64%). In 2012, Tong was reelected for a third term, although with a significantly smaller percentage than in the previous two elections. Tong is primarily known abroad for his efforts to raise "global awareness on the threat posed by climate change", and was dubbed the "Mahatma Gandhi of the Pacific" by Grammy Award Winner Ricky Kej.

2. Taneti Mamau (1960 - )

With an HPI of 49.27, Taneti Mamau is the 2nd most famous I-Kiribati Politician.  His biography has been translated into 30 different languages.

Taneti Maamau (modern spelling: Taaneti Mwamwau; born 16 September 1960) is an I-Kiribati politician who has served as the sixth president of Kiribati since 11 March 2016.

3. Teburoro Tito (1953 - )

With an HPI of 39.69, Teburoro Tito is the 3rd most famous I-Kiribati Politician.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Teburoro Tito (modern spelling Tiito, pronounced Seetoh; born 25 August 1953) is an I-Kiribati politician who served as the third president of Kiribati and foreign minister from 1 October 1994 to 28 March 2003. He was elected for the first time in 1994. He was reelected in 1998 with 52% of the vote. His main opponent was Harry Tong. Tito was reelected again in February 2003 with 50.4% of the vote. His main opponent was then Taberannang Timeon. Tito, however, was deposed by the Parliament in a no confidence vote just one month after his reelection. One of the main reasons for his ejection was his decision to lease an ATR-72-500 aircraft at the government's expense; this lease cost A$8 million during the first six months. President Tito, through his speeches at the UN, interviews with international news media and his active participation at International Climate conferences, began the process of highlighting the detrimental effects of global warming on his and other South Pacific island nations. He also brought his country into the limelight during the 2000 Millennium festivities, by causing it to be the first country to "see tomorrow," after moving the international date line in 1995. He was appointed by President Taneti Maamau as Ambassador to the United States (24 January 2018) and Kiribati Permanent Representative to the United Nations (13 September 2017).