Tuvalu is one of 16 countries that have ratified the Kyoto Protocol under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The treaty, with 84 signatories to date, urges national actions and international cooperation to control and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. Political Rights and Civil Liberties Citizens of Tuvalu can change their government democratically. The 1978 constitution vests executive power in a prime minister and a cabinet of up to four ministers. The governor-general appoints the cabinet members and can name a chief executive or dissolve parliament if its members cannot agree on a premier.
Political parties are legal, but no formal parties have been established.
Most elections hinge on village- based allegiances rather than policy issues. Freedom of speech and of the press is respected. The government broadcasts over Radio Tuvalu and publishes the fortnightly newspaper Tuvalu Echoes in the Tuvalu language and in English, and there is a monthly religious newsletter. Although most of the population belongs to the Protestant Church of Tuvalu, all religious faiths practice freely. The government respects freedom of assembly and association.