Short facts about the government of Vanuatu
| Country
name: |
conventional long
form: Republic of Vanuatu
conventional short
form: Vanuatu
former: New
Hebrides |
| Government
type: |
republic |
| 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: |
chief of state:
President Father John BANI (since 25 March 1999)
head of
government: Prime Minister Edward NATAPEI (since 16 April 2001); Deputy
Prime Minister Serge VOHOR (since 16 April 2001)
cabinet: Council
of Ministers appointed by the prime minister, responsible to
Parliament
elections: president elected for a four-year term 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 2003); 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 16
April 2001 (next to be held NA 2002)
election results: Father
John BANI elected president; percent of electoral college vote - NA%; Edward
NATAPEI elected prime minister by Parliament with a total of 27 out of 52
votes
note: the government of Prime Minister Barak SOPE was
ousted in a no confidence vote on 14 April 2001 and Edward NATAPEI was elected
the new prime minister by Parliament |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral Parliament (52 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve four-year
terms)
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 |
| 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: |
Melanesian Progressive Party or MPP
[Barak SOPE]; National United Party or NUP [Willie TITONGOA]; Union of Moderate
Parties or UMP [Serge VOHOR]; Vanuaaku Party (Our Land Party) or VP [Edward
NATAPEI]; Vanuatu Republican Party [Maxime Carlot
KORMAN] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| 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, UNMIBH,
UNTAET, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTrO (observer) |
| 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 | Source: World Factbook |
