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.
Workers are free to join independent trade unions, bargain collectively, and stage strikes.
Only the Tuvalu Seamen s Union, with about 600 members, has been organized and registered. No strikes have ever occurred, largely because most of the population is engaged outside the wage economy. Civil servants, teachers, and nurses, who total fewer than 1,000 employees, have formed associations, but they do not yet have union status. The judiciary is independent. Citizens receive fair public trials with procedural safeguards based on English common law and have a right of ultimate appeal under certain circumstances to the Privy Council in London.