Prime Minister of Vanuatu

Prime Minister of Vanuatu
Coat of Arms of Vanuatu
Incumbent Charlot Salwai since 11 February 2016
Term length	for as long as the Prime Minister has the confidence of Parliament
Inaugural holder	Walter Lini 30 July 1980
Formation	Constitution of Vanuatu 30 July 1980

The Prime Minister of Vanuatu is the head of government of the Republic of Vanuatu.

The office of Prime Minister was created under the Constitution of Vanuatu upon the country's independence in 1980, with independence campaigner Walter Lini becoming the first office-holder. The position is sometimes seen as a continuation of the older office of Chief Minister, which existed before Vanuatu obtained its independence. The Prime Minister is required by the Constitution to be a member of Parliament, which also directly elects him or her into office. The Prime Minister directly appoints or dismisses members of the Council of Ministers (cabinet ministers).

So far ten people have served as Prime Minister of Vanuatu, some on multiple occasions.

In November 2009, Prime Minister Edward Natapei was briefly declared by the Speaker to have lost his seat over a procedural technicality. The courts invalidated the ruling, and Natapei regained his seat, and thus the premiership.^[1][2]

Serge Vohor's fourth term in office, from April to May 2011, is included in the list below, although his election to the premiership was voided as unconstitutional by the Court of Appeal on 13 May, on the grounds that he had been elected only by a majority of Members of Parliament (26 out of 52), not by an absolute majority. Ralph Regenvanu, who regained his position as Minister for Justice after the annulment of Vohor's premiership, stated: "Prime Minister Serge Vohor and his cabinet are illegal, null and void and were never the government of the country."^[3]

Similarly, Sato Kilman's term is included although it was also voided, by a ruling from Chief Justice Vincent Lunabek on 16 June 2011, finding that Kilman's election in December 2010 had not been in conformity with the requirements for a secret parliamentary ballot set out in article 41 of the Constitution. Thus, following Edward Natapei's ousting in a valid motion of no confidence in December 2010, Vanuatu had no lawfully constituted government until Natapei was restored in June with instructions from the court to convene Parliament for the election of a Prime Minister.^[4][5] This was done on 26 June, resulting in Sato Kilman's election to the premiership by Parliament – his first legally recognised term as Prime Minister.^[6]

List of Prime Ministers

№	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)		Election	Term	Affiliation
1		Walter Lini (1942–1999)	1	—	30 July 1980 – 6 September 1991	Vanua'aku Pati
			2	1983
			3	1987
2		Donald Kalpokas (1943–)	1	—	6 September 1991 – 16 December 1991	Vanua'aku Pati
3		Maxime Carlot Korman (1942–)	1	1991	16 December 1991 – 21 December 1995	Union of Moderate Parties
4		Serge Vohor (1955–)	1	1995	21 December 1995 – 23 February 1996	Union of Moderate Parties
(3)		Maxime Carlot Korman (1942–)	2	—	23 February 1996 – 30 September 1996	Union of Moderate Parties
(4)		Serge Vohor (1955–)	2	—	30 September 1996 – 30 March 1998	Union of Moderate Parties
(2)		Donald Kalpokas (1943–)	2	1998	30 March 1998 – 25 November 1999	Vanua'aku Pati
5		Barak Sopé (1955–)	•	—	25 November 1999 – 13 April 2001	Melanesian Progressive Party
6		Edward Natapei (1954–2015)	1	—	13 April 2001 – 29 July 2004	Vanua'aku Pati
			2	2002
(4)		Serge Vohor (1955–)	3	2004	29 July 2004 – 11 December 2004	Union of Moderate Parties
7		Ham Lini (1951–)	•	—	11 December 2004 – 22 September 2008	National United Party
(6)		Edward Natapei (1954–2015)	3	2008	22 September 2008 – 27 November 2009	Vanua'aku Pati
—		Serge Vohor (1955–) Acting Prime Minister		—	27 November 2009 – 5 December 2009	Union of Moderate Parties
(6)		Edward Natapei (1954–2015)	4	—	5 December 2009 – 2 December 2010	Vanua'aku Pati
8		Sato Kilman (1957–)	1	—	2 December 2010 – 24 April 2011	People’s Progress Party
(4)		Serge Vohor (1955–)	4	—	24 April 2011 – 13 May 2011	Union of Moderate Parties
(8)		Sato Kilman (1957–)	2	—	13 May 2011 – 16 June 2011	People’s Progress Party
—		Edward Natapei (1954–2015) Acting Prime Minister		—	16 June 2011 – 26 June 2011	Vanua'aku Pati
(8)		Sato Kilman (1957–)	3	—	26 June 2011 – 23 March 2013	People’s Progress Party
			4	2012
9		Moana Carcasses Kalosil (1963–)	•	—	23 March 2013 – 15 May 2014	Green Confederation
10		Joe Natuman (1952–)	•	—	15 May 2014 – 11 June 2015	Vanua'aku Pati
(8)		Sato Kilman (1957–)	5	—	11 June 2015 – 11 February 2016	People’s Progress Party
11		Charlot Salwai (19??–)	•	2016	11 February 2016 – present	Reunification of Movements for Change

See also

• Vanuatu
  • Politics of Vanuatu
  • List of colonial heads of Vanuatu (New Hebrides)
  • President of Vanuatu
• Lists of Incumbents

References

1. "Natapei retains seat: CJ rules", Vanuatu Daily Post, 7 December 2009
2. "PM Natapei defeats motion with 36 MPs", Vanuatu Daily Post, 11 December 2009
3. "Vanuatu Court decision results in change of government", ABC Radio Australia, 13 May 2011
4. "Vanuatu Court rules Kilman election void, reinstates Natapei as interim PM". Radio New Zealand International. 16 June 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
5. "Supreme Declared Natapei, Acting Prime Minister", Government of Vanuatu, 16 June 2011
6. "Kilman elected Vanuatu PM - ten days after ouster by court". Radio New Zealand International. 27 June 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2011.