Prime Minister of Vanuatu

The prime minister of Vanuatu is the head of government of the Republic of Vanuatu.

Prime Minister of Vanuatu
Coat of Arms of Vanuatu
Incumbent Bob Loughman since 20 April 2020[1]
Term length	for as long as the Prime Minister has the confidence of Parliament
Constituting instrument	Constitution of Vanuatu
Inaugural holder	Walter Lini
Formation	30 July 1980
Salary	Vt 67,846 weekly (32,295 USD annually)[2]
Website	https://ogcio.gov.vu/

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.

The current president is Bob Loughman from Vanua'aku Pati, since 20 April 2020. He won the 2020 Vanuatuan general election after defeating Charlot Salwai.

Disputes

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.[3][4]

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."[5]

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.[6][7] 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.[8]

List of prime ministers

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)		Election	Term	Affiliation
1		Walter Lini (1942–1999)	1	1983	30 July 1980 – 6 September 1991	Vanua'aku Pati
			2
			3	1987
2		Donald Kalpokas (1943–2019)	1	—	6 September 1991 – 16 December 1991	Vanua'aku Pati
3		Maxime Carlot Korman (1941–)	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
5 (3)		Maxime Carlot Korman (1941–)	2	—	23 February 1996 – 30 September 1996	Union of Moderate Parties
6 (4)		Serge Vohor (1955–)	2	—	30 September 1996 – 30 March 1998	Union of Moderate Parties
7(2)		Donald Kalpokas (1943–2019)	2	1998	30 March 1998 – 25 November 1999	Vanua'aku Pati
8(5)		Barak Sopé (1955–)	•	—	25 November 1999 – 13 April 2001	Melanesian Progressive Party
9 (6)		Edward Natapei (1954–2015)	1	—	13 April 2001 – 29 July 2004	Vanua'aku Pati
			2	2002
10 (4)		Serge Vohor (1955–)	3	2004	29 July 2004 – 11 December 2004	Union of Moderate Parties
11 (7)		Ham Lini (1951–)	•	—	11 December 2004 – 22 September 2008	National United Party
12 (6)		Edward Natapei (1954–2015)	3	2008	22 September 2008 – 27 November 2009	Vanua'aku Pati
13 (4)		Serge Vohor (1955–)		—	27 November 2009 – 5 December 2009	Union of Moderate Parties
14 (6)		Edward Natapei (1954–2015)	4	—	5 December 2009 – 2 December 2010	Vanua'aku Pati
15 (8)		Sato Kilman (1957–)	1	—	2 December 2010 – 24 April 2011	People's Progressive Party
16 (4)		Serge Vohor (1955–)	4	—	24 April 2011 – 13 May 2011	Union of Moderate Parties
17 (8)		Sato Kilman (1957–)	2	—	13 May 2011 – 16 June 2011	People's Progressive Party
18 (6)		Edward Natapei (1954–2015)		—	16 June 2011 – 26 June 2011	Vanua'aku Pati
19 (8)		Sato Kilman (1957–)	3	2012	26 June 2011 – 23 March 2013	People's Progressive Party
			4
20 (9)		Moana Carcasses Kalosil (1963–)	•	—	23 March 2013 – 15 May 2014	Green Confederation
21 (10)		Joe Natuman (1952–)	•	—	15 May 2014 – 11 June 2015	Vanua'aku Pati
22 (8)		Sato Kilman (1957–)	5	—	11 June 2015 – 11 February 2016	People's Progressive Party
23 (11)		Charlot Salwai (1963–)	•	2016	11 February 2016 – 20 April 2020	Reunification Movement for Change
24 (12)		Bob Loughman (1961–)	•	2020	20 April 2020 – Incumbent	Vanua'aku Pati

See also

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

References

1. Vanuatu elects new prime minister as country reels from devastating cyclone, The Guardian, 20 April 2020.
2. "Official Salaries not something to keep mum about - News - dailypost.vu". web.archive.org. 1 July 2017. Archived from the original on 1 July 2017.
3. "Natapei retains seat: CJ rules", Vanuatu Daily Post, 7 December 2009
4. "PM Natapei defeats motion with 36 MPs", Vanuatu Daily Post, 11 December 2009
5. "Vanuatu Court decision results in change of government", ABC Radio Australia, 13 May 2011
6. "Vanuatu Court rules Kilman election void, reinstates Natapei as interim PM". Radio New Zealand International. 16 June 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
7. "Supreme Declared Natapei, Acting Prime Minister", Government of Vanuatu, 16 June 2011 Archived 28 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
8. "Kilman elected Vanuatu PM - ten days after ouster by court". Radio New Zealand International. 27 June 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2011.