Vanuatu’s newly elected Prime Minister, Sato Kilman, has spoken out on the importance of preserving freedom of speech while cautioning against its “misuse”.

Kilman shared his concerns after his election as the country’s new leader on Monday evening.

He cited instances where criticism had crossed a “red line”, raising alarm over the tone of recent political discourse.

• READ MORE: Other Vanuatu political crisis reports

In his address, the Prime Minister addressed the need to uphold respect for Vanuatu’s traditions and Christian faith, including the importance of immediately stopping behavior that tarnished individuals’ reputations.

Prime Minister Kilman acknowledged the commitment to safeguarding democracy in Vanuatu and the importance of adhering to constitutional and legal processes when considering changes to the nation’s governance structure.

He noted the recent parliamentary session, which included a motion of no confidence as mandated by the Constitution.

The Prime Minister voiced his disappointment at lawmakers themselves for violating the laws they had enacted.

Investigating allegations
He conveyed his commitment to addressing these breaches and investigating allegations of threatening gestures and bribery.

Kilman said that the motion of no confidence was fundamentally about safeguarding democracy in Vanuatu.

He assured the public that the new government would prioritise delivering essential services to the people.

The Prime Minister expressed gratitude to all the political parties that supported the government’s change and acknowledged the customary practice during a government transition.

He thanked Vanua’aku Pati president Bob Loughman and Iauko Group leader Marc Ati for their support in electing him as the Prime Minister.

Kilman also commended members from other sides of the political spectrum who proposed candidates for the prime ministership and participated in the democratic process, even though the outcome did not favour them, saying that such participation upheld democratic values.

Doddy Morris is a Vanuatu Daily Post reporter. Republished with permission.

Ishmael Kalsakau was elected today unopposed as the 13th Prime Minister of the republic of Vanuatu by secret ballot.

Kalsakau was elected by the 52 members of the country’s Parliament.

“Thank you, thank you for the election,” Kalsakau said after the vote.

• READ MORE: Other reports on the Vanuatu elections

The former prime minister and president of the Vanua’aku Party, Bob Loughman, stood up at the session and said his group had no candidate to put forward for prime minister but would vote for Kalsakau.

Under the national constitution, a prime minister must be elected by a secret ballot even if standing unopposed.

Kalsakau was elected by 50 votes, with two invalid votes.

At the time of his election the new coalition government led by Prime Minister Kalsakau was composed of eight political parties and no independents.

About the new PM
This is Ishmael Kalsakau’s first time as prime minister of Vanuatu.

He was deputy prime minister in the last government.

Kalsakau is a lawyer by profession. Before his involvement in politics, he served as the Attorney-General of Vanuatu.

He originates from a small island in Port Vila Harbor, Ifira, and went to Malapoa College.

Kalsakau is the younger brother of the Paramount Chief of Ifira, Matoi Kalsakau.

He is not the first prime minister from Ifira.

This honour is held by Barak Sope who was prime minister from 1999 to 2001.

Kalsakau and his soon to be formed cabinet step into their roles at a crucial time for Vanuatu as the heavily tourism dependent country emerges from the pandemic.

His priorities will be spelt out when the government is fully formed, he said in an interview following the first session of Parliament.

First session of Parliament
Elected representatives from both camps emerged from coalition talks to take their oaths at the first parliamentary session.

It follows last month’s snap election which was triggered by the dissolution of Parliament on August 18 on the eve of a vote of no confidence in the former prime minister Bob Loughman led by former opposition leader Ralph Regenvanu.

In the lead up to today’s sitting, Regenvanu’s camp had strong numbers — with 30 MPs on his side.

But before stepping foot in Parliament the consensus was that Ishmael Kalsakau be put up to lead the government, said Vanuatu Broadcasting Corporation senior journalist Simo Warijo.

On the floor, empty seats were noticeable on Bob Loughman’s side.

Despite Kalsakau’s landslide victory, Loughman walked into Parliament with 22 people in his camp.

Numbers do not lie
Prime Minister Ishmael Kalaskau is the leader of the Union of Moderate Parties and secured seven seats in the snap election, equal highest with former prime minister Bob Loughman’s Vanua’aku Pati.

In comparison, Ralph Regenvanu’s Graon mo Jastis Pati only managed to secure four seats.

MP Gloria King takes first oath
Rapturous applause filled the house this morning as Gloria Julia King, the only woman MP to be elected to Vanuatu’s Parliament since 2008, stepped up to take the first oath:

“I King Gloria Julia, having been elected member of Parliament, I do swear that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the republic of Vanuatu…”

King has also been appointed third Deputy Speaker, a significant role for a first-time MP.

Simeon returned as Speaker
The former Speaker, Seoule Simeon, has been reelected by the new MPs.

He is the MP for Epi constituency and was nominated by former prime minister Bob Loughman’s coalition.

His contender for the job was MP for Port Vila constituency Ulrick Sumpton, who was nominated by former opposition leader Ralph Regenvanu’s camp.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ. 

The results of Vanuatu’s snap election have been released, but it is not clear who has come out on top.

The official results have revealed a fractured Parliament with seven being the highest number of MPs won by a single party.

The caretaker prime minister and leader of Vanua’aku Pati, Bob Loughman, has secured seven seats and former opposition leader Ralph Regenvanu’s Graon mo Jastis Party has four seats.

• READ MORE: Other Vanuatu election reports

A commentator on Vanuatu politics, Dr Tess Newton Cain, said both sides now needed to rely on independents and minor parties to form a majority.

Leading up to the release of the official results on Sunday, two coalition groups had formed.

Ralph Regenvanu’s coalition claims to have 31 out of 52 seats.

However, some candidates are appearing on the roster for both coalitions and things will not become clear until Parliament is called to swear-in the MPs.

Woman elected
It has been confirmed that a woman has been elected for the first time in more than a decade.

Gloria Julia Kings of the Union of Moderate Parties has been elected in Efate Rural alongside two colleagues. She was the fourth of five elected candidates with 1618 votes.

The election was triggered when Vanuatu’s Supreme Court dismissed a constitutional application in September challenging the dissolution of Parliament.

The 27 opposition MPs had challenged the legality of the dissolution, given a motion of no confidence had been filed against Loughman as prime minister.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Voter turnout in reached below 50% in this year’s election. Only 48.45% of all registered voters who turned up to vote on the 13 October 2022. pic.twitter.com/9OJduQRCtf

— Jason Matariki (@Jaxniel) October 23, 2022

Forty nine regional and international observers have arrived in Vanuatu to monitor the running of the country’s snap election tomorrow.

The election was triggered after the dissolution of the country’s Parliament on August 19 by President Nikenike Vurobaravu, and on the eve of a motion of no-confidence against the now caretaker prime minister Bob Loughman.

More than 300,000 people are expected to cast their vote in the snap election.

• READ MORE: Other Vanuatu election reports

The Chairman of the Electoral Commission, Edward Kaltamat, has confirmed observers from Australia, China, Fiji, France, Kiribati, Melanesian Spearhead Group Secretariat, New Zealand, Pacific Islands Forum, United Kingdom and the United Nations are in the country.

Kaltamat said their presence will provide confidence to the voters on the transparency and credibility of the election.

The 49 observers have signed their code of conduct to guide them while they are in the field.

Kaltamat said some of them would stay in the capital to monitor the elections in Port Vila and the Efate constituency, and some would be deployed in the islands.

He said the observers will be briefed before being sent to the islands by aircraft.

This is not the first time that international observers have monitored an election in Vanuatu.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

The Chief Justice of Vanuatu has ordered the amendment of a constitutional application against the dissolution of Parliament to exclude the president of the republic from the case.

The application, which was heard in the Supreme Court today in Port Vila, was brought by 27 opposition MPs who were signatories to a motion of no confidence in Prime Minister Bob Loughman earlier this month.

On the motion being tabled in Parliament, the House was dissolved by President Nikenike Vurobaravu at the request of Loughman and his council of ministers.

• READ MORE: Other Vanuatu political crisis reports

Vanuatu lawyer Wilson Thompson is the assistant deputy Private Secretary to Vanuatu’s Head of State and was in court today for the proceedings. He said the court found the constitutional application too broad in its scope.

“The Chief Justice, who is the one presiding over the matter, has advised the applicant’s lawyers to amend the constitutional application and make it as an ordinary civil matter,” Thompson said.

He said the core difficulty in the original application was that it named the President as first respondent in the case but he could not be challenged because of the powers accorded to him by the Constitution.

“Because article 28 (3) of the Constitution does provide for the President to dissolve Parliament if he receives a council of ministers’ decision. And that provision does not provide for any other authority, whether from the opposition or whether from the leader of the opposition, for the President to consult before making a dissolution [of Parliament] ”

Thompson said the constitution also did not require the President to base his decision on any specific criteria.

Chief Justice Vincent Lunabek has given until the close of business tomorrow for the application to be amended to exclude the President and until Friday for the Attorney-General to prepare a response.

RNZ Pacific understands the new case is now being built around challenging Loughman and his council of ministers’ decision to request a dissolution of Parliament despite a date having been set by the Speaker of Parliament for the motion of no confidence to be heard.

The entire matter will be back in court on September 2 to see if there is a case to answer.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

The president of Vanuatu has dissolved the country’s Parliament just over halfway through the current four-year-term.

President Nikenike Vurobaravu signed the instrument for the dissolution of Parliament this afternoon on the eve of a proposed motion of no confidence in Prime Minister Bob Loughman that was to have been tabled tomorrow morning.

The now caretaker Prime Minister Loughman, who requested the dissolution, has welcomed the president’s decision and called on all Vanuatu citizens to respect it.

• READ MORE: ‘Just a power grab’ claim over Vanuatu PM’s no-confidence vote boycott
• Other Vanuatu politics reports

The national broadcaster in Vanuatu is reporting that the president Nikenike Vurobaravu has signed an instrument for the dissolution of parliament and copies of the signed document are circulating online.https://t.co/0Zh028z8pv

— RNZ Pacific (@RNZPacific) August 18, 2022

RNZ Pacific was still trying to reach the former opposition leader Ralph Regenvanu but in a statement on social media he said they would be challenging the president’s decision in court.

“The President of the Republic has dissolved Parliament on the advice of the Council of Ministers just hours before a scheduled motion of no confidence in the Prime Minister in an Extraordinary Parliamentary session called by the majority of Members. The majority of Members will be challenging this dissolution in court. – in Port-Vila,” Ralph Regenvanu posted on the Vanuatu opposition’s official Facebook page.

However, caretaker Prime Minister Loughman is already in campaign mode saying by law they must hold an election in not less than 30 days but also not more than 60 days time.

“My responsibility and that of my ministers [is] to make sure that we run and we conduct an election for the people of this country to elect their new representatives to represent them in Parliament,” he said.

“I had made an appeal earlier on that when it comes to selecting candidates, I appealed to all the communities to nominate and elect reputable leaders that have the qualities to lead this country.”

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

The Vanuatu Prime Minister Bob Loughman has confirmed he will attend the next sitting of an extra-ordinary Parliament session on Friday to face a motion of no-confidence in his leadership.

Loughman and 20 MPs loyal to his government boycotted Parliament yesterday, forcing an adjournment to Friday — because of a lack of a quorum — effectively thwarting the opposition’s attempt to move the motion against him.

In response to the boycott opposition leader Ralph Regenvanu said Loughman was only delaying the inevitable.

• READ MORE: Other Vanuatu politics reports

“We think it’s just a power grab, it’s a last ditch attempt to try in stay in power beyond this week because the numbers have shifted,” Regenvanu said.

Regenvanu also said a request, from the Council of Ministers, conveyed by the Prime Minister over the weekend to the Head of State, calling for the dissolution of Parliament was equally futile.

RNZ Pacific’s reporter in Vanuatu, Hilaire Bule, reported yesterday afternoon that the Head of State, Nikenike Vurobaravu, has now declined the request for a dissolution of Parliament, effectively setting the scene for a showdown in Parliament on Friday.

Bob Loughman said he is prepared to defend himself on the floor.

“We will be there during which time I will have the opportunity to respond to allegations raised against me and I am very confident that the allegations raised against me are baseless,” he said.

Part of Loughman’s confidence also stems from the make up of the 17 government MPs who crossed the floor to join the opposition.

The only complete political party grouping to shift is a handful of MPs from the Reunification Movement for Change Party led by former prime minister Charlot Salwai.

The rest of the MPs to cross over have done so as individuals leaving their party members still aligned with the government, many of them in ministerial roles.

“That to me will continue to provide instability because you cannot satisfy all of the members at any one time,” Loughman said.

“My view is rather than going to other motions coming in the next one-and-a-half-years (the next election will be in 2024) that it would be in the best interest of this country to go for a fresh election,” he said.

But Regenvanu said deliberations among the MPs that had helped shift the balance of power in the House were already well advanced.

“We expect that we will be able to form government on Friday quite peacefully and efficiently and we are currently finalising the policy platform for the new government for the remaining 18 months or so of the legislature,” Regenvanu said.

Both leaders had messages for Vanuatu citizens in the country and around the world watching the political developments unfold.

Regenvanu called for calm and urged citizens to respect the democratic process.

“We have the interest of the people at heart and we are making the changes for the better (sic) of the public,” Regenvanu said.

Prime Minister Loughman also reiterated that the motion of no confidence was a normal parliamentary process but he urged the public to ensure their leaders were making these moves for the right reasons.

“What concerns me though is members, individual members of Parliament moving across from one side of the house to the other for their personal interests as compared to national interests,” Loughman said.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

The Vanuatu Prime Minister has again failed to push through controversial constitutional changes.

These include extending the term of Parliament, changing the definition of a Vanuatu citizen, and increasing the size of cabinet by nearly a third.

A second session of Parliament yesterday was adjourned because of a lack of MPs.

• LISTEN TO RNZ PACIFIC WAVES: Port Vila lawyer Gary Blake speaks to Don Wiseman on the constitutional crisis
• Prime Minister Bob Loughman failed to amend the constitution
• Other reports on the Vanuatu constitutional crisis

Prime Minister Bob Loughman wants to push through at least 15 constitutional changes which the opposition and some MPs in both his coalition and his own Vanua’aku Pati oppose.

On Friday there were only 31 of the 52 MPs present.

For a constitutional change a minimum of 34 MPs is needed.

On Thursday, lawyers in Port Vila published a statement strongly criticising one of the planned constitutional amendments.

They say the government’s plan to put the Chief Justice’s position on a fixed-term contract undermines the credibility of that judicial office.

Costly process
The adjournment of the Vanuatu Parliament over the seven days to Friday cost the country’s taxpayers more than 3.7 million vatu (US$32,000).

This is because MPs and cabinet ministers each get daily allowances when the Parliament is in session.

“You cannot just pull a paper from a rubbish bin and bring it to Parliament for approval because you are dealing with Vanuatu’s Constitution,” former prime minister Charlot Salwai said. https://t.co/Bgq4z1XeXs

— RNZ Pacific (@RNZPacific) June 16, 2022

But on Friday a week ago the session was adjourned because many MPs had boycotted over government plans to push through the sweeping constitutional changes.

Ati George Sokomanu, who was the country’s first president, is calling for more communication among the leaders and respect for the procedures required under the constitution to avoid wasting taxpayers’ money.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Vanuatu Prime Minister Bob Loughman has rejected a claim that he had been invited by the Indonesian government to visit West Papua.

In a courtesy call and meeting with the prime minister to check on the claim, Loughman Vanuatu West Papua Unification and Association Committee (VWPUAC) chair Pastor Alan Nafuki that he was neither aware of nor had he received any invitation from the Indonesian government.

Prime Minister Loughman reaffirmed an earlier statement he had made to Pastor Nafuki saying that his government’s position was “crystal clear” about support for West Papuan independence.

READ MORE: Webinar panel on West Papua sharply divided over media ‘black hole’

It had been the same since the statement of the “Father of Independence”, the late Father Walter Lini, who had said in 1980 Vanuatu would not be completely free until the Pacific’s remaining colonised peoples of West Papua, Kanaky and Tahiti were free.

Prime Minister Loughman did not mince his words when he declared that nobody could change his country’s stand on West Papua.

All former Vanuatu governments and his current government had a mandate to “speak up for the voiceless” to help them towards achieving their God given right to self-determination and freedom.

The VWPUAC chair’s group had sought verification from the Prime Minister after Pastor Nafuki had been approached by two ni-Vanuatu individuals who claimed that he had been invited by Jakarta and his name was on the list of invitees.

“I asked one of them to show me the invitation with my name on it and he turned and left,” Pastor Nafuki said.

Vanuatu stands up strongly and speaks up for the freedom of the people of West Papua.

It has passed a Wantok Bill in Parliament in support of the freedom of the people of West Papua.

More than 20,000 people have marched through Port Vila for the opening of Vanuatu’s 40th Independence Anniversary celebrations.

The parade started in the Tagabe area and finished four and a half hours later at the Independence Park.

It began with a ceremony at the march starting point where a Vanuatu flag was handed over from family of the first Prime Minister, Father Walter Lini, to the family of the second Prime Minister, Donald Kalpokas.

The flag was handed to representatives of successive prime ministers with the last station seeing Charlot Salwai present to current Prime Minister Bob Loughman.

At Independence Park, the National Council of Chiefs, Malvatumauri, thanked the chiefs of Efate for hosting the event in the capital.

The Malvatumauri also performed a ceremony for Prime Minister Loughman as a token of appreciation for the government’s service to the people of Vanuatu.

The country is holding a nine-day public holiday to mark the independence celebrations.

Independence Day is next Thursday.

This article is republished by the Pacific Media Centre under a partnership agreement with RNZ.

The new Prime Minister of the Republic of Vanuatu is Bob Loughman, president of the Vanua’aku Pati, the party that led the country into independence in 1980.

Loughman succeeds outgoing Prime Minister Charlot Salwai, who served a full four-year term.

The election of the new Prime Minister took place yesterday afternoon during the first sitting of the new 12th Legislature of the Republic of Vanuatu.

READ MORE: Consider government of national unity, suggests former PM Ham Lini

All 52 MPs in the new Legislature were present during the first sitting.

The new state ministers appointed under Prime Minister Loughman’s leadership yesterday evening are:

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Affairs – Ishmael Kalsakau (Port Vila MP)
Minister for Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, Fisheries and Biosecurity – Willie Daniel (Tongoa)
Minister for Finance – Johnny Koanapo Rasou (Tanna)
Minister for Health – Silas Bule (Pentecost)
Minister for Climate Change, Meteorology and Geohazards – Bruno Lengkon (Ambrym)
Minister for Lands – Jack Norris Kalmet (Efate Rural)
Minister for Youth and Sports Development – Willie Pakoa Saatearoto (Shepherds)
Minister for Justice and Community Services – Esmon Saimon (Malekula)
Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade – Marc Ati (Luganville)
Minister for Education – Simeon Davidson Seoule (Epi)
Minister for Infrastructure and Public Utilities – Jay Ngwele (Ambae)

Prime Minister Loughman was first elected to Parliament in 2004, reelected into Parliament since then and again in last month’s March 19, 2020, general election.

He has held ministerial portfolios, including the Minister for Education and was Deputy Prime Minister in the Salwai-led government for a while before the Vanua’aku Pati was ousted from government and joined the Opposition bloc in the 11th Legislature.

Decisive vote
He was nominated for the position of the Prime Minister by Port Vila UMP MP and former Leader of Opposition, Ishmael Kalsakau. His rival, Port Vila MP and president of the Graon mo Jastis Pati Ralph Regenvanu, was nominated by former PM Salwai.

In a secret ballot vote by the 52 MPs yesterday afternoon, MP Bob Loughman received 31 votes to become the new Prime Minister of Vanuatu. MP Ralph Regenvanu received 21 votes.

There were two political groupings when Parliament convened yesterday morning. One group saw the Vanua’aku Pati (VP), the Union of the Moderate Parties (UMP), the National United Party (NUP), the Nagriamel political movement, the Green Confederation Party, and other MPs that made up a total of 30 MPs on one side of the chamber.

The other political grouping was made up of the Graon Mo Jastis Pati (GJP) that commands a total of 9 MPs in the new 12th Legislature, together with the Reunification of Movement for Change (RMC), the Leaders Party of Vanuatu (LPV), the Vanuatu Liberal Movement (VLM), and other political groups that make up 22 MPs.

The newly elected PM said he would make his first official address to the people and the nation of Vanuatu on tomorrow (Wednesday).

The Pacific Media Centre republishes Vanuatu Daily Post articles with permission.