Government & politics — Vanuatu

• history: draft completed August 1979, finalized by constitution conference 19 September 1979, ratified by French and British Governments 23 October 1979,
• effective 30 July 1980 at independence amendments: proposed by the prime minister or by the Parliament membership; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by Parliament in special session with at least three fourths of the membership; passage of amendments affecting the national and official languages, or the electoral and parliamentary system also requires approval in a referendum; amended several times, last in 2013

• chief of state: Presiden
• Prime Minister Jotham NAPAT (since 11 February 2025) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister,
• responsible to Parliament election/appointment process: president indirectly elected by an electoral college consisting of Parliament and presidents of the 6 provinces; national president serves a 5-year term; following legislative elections, the Parliament usually elects the leader of the majority party or majority coalition (who must also be a memb
• er of Parliament) as prime minister most recent election date: 23
• July 2022 election results: 2022: Nikenike VUROBARAVU elected president in eighth round; electoral college vote - Nikenike VUROBARAVU (VP) 48 votes,
• Solas MOLISA (VP) 4 votes expected date of next election: 2027
• note: the National Council of Chiefs (Malvatu Mauri) is a formal advisory body of chiefs recognized by the country's constitution; it advises the government on matters of culture and language

Description

unicameral Parliament (52 seats; members directly elected in 8 single-seat and 9 multi-seat constituencies by single non-transferable vote to serve 4-year terms (candidates in multi-seat constituencies can be elected with only 4% of the vote)

Elections

last held on 13 October 2022 (next to be held in 2026)

Election Results

• percent of vote by party - NA
• seats by party - GJP 4, NUP 4, RDP 4, IG 3, PPP 2, NCM 2, VNDP 2, LM 1, NAG 1, PUDP 1, UCM 1, VLM 1, VPDP 1, independent 1;

Composition

men 50, women 1, percentage women 2%;

Note

political party associations are fluid

Note

the National Council of Chiefs advises on matters of culture and language

• highest court(s): Court of Appeal (consists of 2 or more judges of the Supreme Court designated by the chief justice); Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and 6 puisne judges - 3
• local and 3 expatriate) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the president after consultation with the prime minister and the leader of the opposition; other judges appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission, a 4-member advisory body;
• judges serve until the age of retirement subordinate courts: Magistrates Courts; Island Courts

Summary

6 provinces

Regions or States

• Malampa
• Penama
• Sanma
• Shefa
• Tafea
• Torba

• Iauko Group (Eagle Party) or IG [Tony NARI]
• Laverwo Movement or LM [Seoule SIMEON]
• Land and Justice Party (Graon mo Jastis Pati) or GJP [Ralph REGENVANU]
• Leaders Party of Vanuatu or LVP [Nikenike VUROBARAVUJotham NAPAT]
• Melanesian Progressive Party or MPP [Barak SOPE]
• Nagriamel Movement or NAG [Frankie STEVENS Pikioune LEONARD]
• Namarakieana Movement or NM [John AMOS]
• Natatok Indigenous People's Democratic Party or NATATOK or NIPDP [Alfred Roland CARLOT]
• National United Party or NUP [Ham LINI Bruno Leingkon TAU]
• Nagwasoanda Custom Movement or NCM [Ian Toakalana WILSON]
• People's Progressive Party or PPP [Sato KILMAN]
• People's Service United Development Party or PSUDP [Don KEN James BULE]
• Reunification of Movement for Change or RMC [Charlot SALWAI]
• Rural Development Party or RDP [Jay NGWELE, spokesman]
• Union of Moderate Parties or UMP [Alatoi Ishmael KALSAKAU]
• Unity for Change Movement or UCM [Vari Peter JAMES]
• Vanua'aku Pati (Our Land Party) or VP [Bob LOUGHMAN]
• Vanuatu Democratic Party [Maxime Carlot KORMAN]
• Vanuatu First or Vanuatu [Russel NARI]
• Vanuatu Liberal Democratic Party or VLDP [Tapangararua WILLIE]
• Vanuatu Liberal Movement or VLM [Gaetan PIKIOUNE]
• Vanuatu National Development Party or VNDP [Robert Bohn SIKOLChristphoe EMELEE]
• Vanuatu National Party or VNP [Issac HAMARILIU]
• Vanuatu Republican Party or VRP [Marcellino PIPITE]
• Vanuatu Progressive Development Party or VPDP [John NIL]

• no citizenship by descent only: both parents must be citizens of Vanuatu; in the case of only one parent, it mu
• no residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

embassy

the US does not have an embassy in Vanuatu; the US Ambassador to Papua New Guinea is accredited to Vanuatu

chief of mission

Ambassador Odo TEVI (since 8 September 2017) note - also Permanent Representative to the UN

chancery

800 Second Avenue, Suite 400B, New York, NY 10017

telephone

[1] (212) 661-4323

FAX

[1] (212) 422-3427

Email address and website

• vanunmis@aol.com
• https://www.un.int/vanuatu/