Dr. Pitoi, a dentist, had served as one of the two MPs for Nanumaga since 2006, and had been appointed Minister for Education, Youth and Sport in Prime Minister
Willy Telavi's government on 24 December 2010. In January 2013, he was taken seriously ill while on an official visit to
Cuba. He was hospitalised, and later travelled to
New Zealand for further treatment. His prolonged absence from Parliament contributed to the Telavi government losing its parliamentary majority; Pitoi and the rest of Cabinet were voted out of office by Parliament on 2 August. Though still absent from the country, Pitoi was now officially an Opposition MP to the new government led by Prime Minister
Enele Sopoaga. In December 2013, Governor-General Sir
Iakoba Italeli declared Pitoi's seat vacant in accordance with Section 99 (2) of the Tuvalu Constitution following a medical report on his health; he had now been away from the country for eleven months. Consequently, a by-election was announced to replace him.
Monise Laafai retained the other Nanumaga seat, for which he had been elected in 2010. The Sopoaga government hoped to win Pitoi's vacant seat from the Opposition, which would grant the government a two thirds majority in Parliament, and enable it in particular to elect a new Speaker, replacing Sir
Kamuta Latasi, whom Sopoaga accused of being partisan. ==Candidates==