Elections and political parties in Tuvalu scale of the 15 seat parliament, Tuvalu has no political parties, meaning that the political system in Tuvalu exhibits the traits of a Non-partisan democracy. During the time Tuvalu was a British dependency the parliament was called the House of the Assembly or "Fale I Fono". Following independence in October 1978 the House of the Assembly was renamed the Parliament of Tuvalu or "Palamene o Tuvalu". As a consequence of the Ellice Islands self-determination referendum, 1974, separation occurred in two stages. The Tuvaluan Order 1975, which took effect on 1 October 1975, recognised Tuvalu as a separate British dependency with
Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific the Pacific Islands Regional Ocean Policy while the CROP ICT Working Group has shepherded the Pacific Islands ICT Policy and Strategic Plan (PIIPP). The CROP interagency working groups also provide technical advice to Pacific Islands Forum intergovernmental working groups taking part in United Nations and other international negotiations and processes, on request. Since the implementation of the Pacific Plan and the Framework for Pacific Regionalism, the role of these CROP working groups has diminished. Their role was reviewed in 2015. Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific The Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific (CROP) is an inter-organisational consultative