Parliament is a 52-member unicameral house elected by all persons over 18 years old. Parliament normally sits for a 4-year term unless dissolved by majority vote of a three-fourths quorum or a directive from the President on the advice of the prime minister. The national Council of Chiefs, called the Malvatu Mauri and elected by district councils of chiefs, advises the government on all matters concerning ni-Vanuatu culture and language.
The Supreme Court consists of a chief justice and up to three other judges. Two or more members of this court may constitute a Court of Appeal. Magistrate courts handle most routine legal matters. The legal system is based on British law. The constitution also provides for the establishment of village or island courts presided over by chiefs to deal with questions of customary law.
On the eve of independence in 1980, Jimmy Stevens' Nagriamel movement, in alliance with private French interests, declared the island of Espiritu Santo independent of the new government. Following independence, Vanuatu requested assistance from Papua New Guinea, whose forces restored order on Santo. From then until 1991, the Vanua'aku Pati and its predominantly English-speaking leadership controlled the Vanuatu Government.
In December 1991, and following a split in the Vanua'aku Pati, Maxime Carlot Korman, leader of the Francophone Union of Moderate Parties (UMP), was elected Vanuatu's first Francophone prime minister. He formed a coalition government with Walter Lini's breakaway VP faction, now named the National United Party (NUP).
Following parliamentary elections on November 30, 1995, Carlot Korman was succeeded by Serge Vohor, a dissident UMP leader. Over the next 2 years, government leadership changed several times thanks to unstable coalitions within the Parliament. In November 1997, the President dissolved Parliament. Following the subsequent election on March 6, 1998, Donald Kalpokas, the leader of the Vanua'aku Pati, was elected prime minister. A vote of no confidence in November 1999 brought Barak Sope to the fore as Prime Minister. Yet another vote of no confidence resulted in the selection of Edward Natapei as Prime Minister in March 2001. Edward Natapei returned as Prime Minister in the May 2002 national parliamentary elections.
Country name:
Data code:
NH
Government type:
republic
Capital:
Port-Vila
Administrative divisions:
6 provinces; Malampa, Penama, Sanma, Shefa, Tafea, Torba
Independence:
30 July 1980 (from France and UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 30 July (1980)
Constitution:
30 July 1980
Legal system:
unified system being created from former dual French and British systems
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament (52 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court, chief justice is appointed by the president after consultation with the prime minister and the leader of the opposition, three other justices are appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission
Political parties and leaders:
Friend Melanesian Party [Albert RAVUTIA]; John Frum Movement [leader NA]; Melanesian Progressive Party or MPP [Barak SOPE]; Na-Griamel Movement [Frankie STEVENS]; National United Party or NUP [Willie TITONGOA]; Tan Union or TU [Vincent BOULEKONE]; Union of Moderate Parties or UMP [Serge VOHOR]; Vanuatu Party or VP [Donald KALPOKAS]; Vanuatu Republican Party [Maxime Carlot KORMAN]
International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), IOC, ITU, NAM, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Vanuatu does not have an embassy in the US, it does, however, have a Permanent Mission to the UN
Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Vanuatu; the ambassador to Papua New Guinea is accredited to Vanuatu
Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a black isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) all separated by a black-edged yellow stripe in the shape of a horizontal Y (the two points of the Y face the hoist side and enclose the triangle); centered in the triangle is a boar's tusk encircling two crossed namele leaves, all in yellow
Political conditions
Government and society in Vanuatu tend to divide along linguistic--French and English--lines. Historically, English-speaking politicians such as Walter Lini, Donald Kalpokas, and other leaders of the Vanua'aku Pati favored early independence, whereas French-speaking political leaders favored continuing association with the colonial administrators, particularly France.
conventional long form:
Republic of Vanuatu
conventional short form:
Vanuatu
former:
New Hebrides
chief of state:
President Father John BANI (since 25 March 1999)
head of government:
Prime Minister Barak SOPE (since 25 November 1999); Deputy Prime Minister Stanley REGINALD (since 25 November 1999)
cabinet:
Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister, responsible to Parliament
elections:
president elected by an electoral college consisting of Parliament and the presidents of the regional councils for a five-year term; election for president last held 25 March 1999 (next to be held NA 2004); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by Parliament from among its members; election for prime minister last held 6 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2002)
election results:
Father John BANI elected president; percent of electoral college vote - NA; Barak SOPE elected prime minister by Parliament with a total of 28 votes; other candidate, Edward NATAPEI, received 24 votes
note:
as a result of legislative elections in March 1998, Donald KALPOKAS was elected prime minister and the VP formed a coalition government with the NUP; in November 1999, KALPOKAS, facing strong opposition and the threat of a no confidence vote, resigned; Barak SOPE was elected prime minister in his place and a coalition government was formed
elections:
last held 6 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2002)
election results:
percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - VP 18, UMP 12, NUP 11, other and independent 11; note - political party associations are fluid; there have been four changes of government since the November 1995 elections
note:
the National Council of Chiefs advises on matters of custom and land