Credit:Ivan Sache (FOTW Flags Of The World website at flagspot.net)

Election Date: September 2, 2008

At stake: Parliament

Background

More than 80 different islands in the Pacific Ocean form the country of Vanuatu, which attained its independence from France and Britain in 1980 and was formerly known as the New Hebrides.

In 1981, Vanuatu joined the United Nations (UN).

In 1996, the paramilitary group Vanuatu Mobile Force attempted to stage a coup.

In July 2002, former prime minister and leader of the Melanesian Progressive Party (MPP) Barak Sope was convicted on two counts of forgery. Sope was pardoned and spared a three-year sentence in 2003, a decision highly criticized by the governments of Australia and New Zealand. Both countries provide Vanuatu with economic aid and have pushed for improving political standards there.

The year 2004 brought political instability. On Apr. 12, Alfred Maseng Nalo of the conservative Union of Moderate Parties / Union des Partis Moderés (UMP) was elected president by Parliament. On May 11, the Vanuatu Supreme Court removed Nalo from office when it was revealed that he was serving a suspended sentence for several offences, which included receiving stolen goods. The court said it was illegal to have a convicted criminal in the presidential office. Nalo died in December 2004.

In July 2004, an early legislative election took place. Final results gave the social-democratic Vanuatu National United Party (NUP) 10 seats, followed by the UMP and the socialist Vanuaaku Party (VP) with eight each.

The UMP’s Serge Vohor became prime minister and leader of a coalition government encompassing members of the UMP, two politicians from the VP—Joe Nautaman and Sela Molisa—and independents.

Click Here for Vanuatu’s 2004 Legislative Election Tracker

On Aug. 16, 2004, Kalkot Mataskelekele was elected president by Parliament. The lawyer is the first president of Vanuatu to hold a university degree.

In December, Vanuatu prime minister Vohor was ousted after a 35-14 no-confidence motion. Several cabinet ministers had resigned after Vohor established diplomatic relations with Taiwan without consulting the Council of Ministers. The decision led to a brief rift with China.

On Dec. 11, deputy prime minister Ham Lini of the NUP took over as head of government.

Vanuatu’s economy depends heavily on agriculture and tourism. Infrastructure is largely underdeveloped. The country of roughly 226,000 inhabitants was regarded as a tax haven due to lenient laws. In 2003, the government successfully implemented a series of measures to fight money-laundering activities. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) eventually removed Vanuatu from a black list of "uncooperative" states.

In 2005, Vanuatu’s economy grew by 5.5 per cent, according to official figures.

In 2007, the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG)—which includes Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Fiji and Vanuatu—signed a constitution. The document’s main provision is "to promote cooperation among independent Melanesian nations and to assist other Melanesian states that are not yet free." The group was initially assembled in 1993—with Fiji joining in 1998—mainly to promote trade between the Melanesian nations.

2008 Parliament Election

The next parliamentary election in Vanuatu is scheduled for Sept. 2. The conservative Union of Moderate Parties (UMP) currently holds the majority of seats in the legislature. Current prime minister Ham Lini is a member of the social-democratic Vanuatu National United Party (NUP).

In March, Lini revealed that he accepted a $10 billion U.S. offer from a financial group without consulting members of his party or cabinet. The offer, which was supposed to be invested in reducing Vanuatu’s carbon emissions, was found to be a sham.

In early April, the Transparency International group said it is “begging” journalists in Vanuatu to offer accurate reports and insight into the electoral campaign. In a statement, the international corruption watchdog said it worries that often times “the wrong people” are elected into office in Vanuatu.

Voting took place on Sept. 2. A record 341 contenders were registered to compete for the 52 parliamentary seats. The government declared a national holiday, and banned the sale of liquor for 24-hours in the entire archipelago. The number of registered voters grew from 20,000 in the 2004 ballot, to 150,000 in 2008. No major disruptions or violence were reported throughout the day.

On Sept. 9, Lini said that the next prime minister would likely be a member of the Vanuaaku Party / Party of Our Land (VP), declaring, “NUP is open to everybody to work with as long as there’s something in place that we can all agree to work with and then we can work with any party.”

On Sept. 11, official results gave the VP party 11 seats, the Vanuatu National United Party (NUP) eight seats, and the Vanuatu Republican Party (VRP) seven seats. Both the VP/NUP bloc and the VRP and its allies claimed to have support of 30 lawmakers altogether, counting members from smaller organizations.

VRP leader Maxime Carlot Korman said he would become prime minister, declaring, “The majority is with me at the moment. I’m trying to make arrangements for the next government to be strong and fair-sharing, and to develop this country, that it’s going in the wrong road now with the Vanuaaku Pati.”

On Sept. 22, the VP’s Edward Natapei was elected as prime minister by the legislature in a 27-25 vote against Korman of VRP. Former foreign affairs minister George Andre Wells was voted unopposed as speaker.

On Sept. 25, the opposition bloc tabled a no-confidence motion against Natapei after an independent lawmaker defected from the governing coalition. The motion was defeated.

Political Players

President: Kalkot Mataskelekele
Prime minister: Edward Natapei - VP

The president is elected to a five-year term by the Parliament.

Legislative Branch: The Parliament / Parlement has 52 members, elected to four-year terms in multi-seat constituencies.

Results of Last Election:

Parliament - Sept. 2, 2008

Archive Search

Search the Angus Reid Global Monitor Election Tracker archive.