Government and Politics of Vanuatu

Government Type

parliamentary republic

Administrative Divisions

6 provinces; Malampa, Penama, Sanma, Shefa, Tafea, Torba

Legal System

unified system being created from former dual French and British systems

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Citizenship

citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: both parents must be citizens of Vanuatu; in the case of only one parent, it must be the father who is a citizen dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

Executive Branch

chief of state: President Nikenike VUROBARAVU (since 23 July 2022) head of government: Prime Minister Charlot SALWAI (since 6 March 2024); Deputy Prime Minister Silas YATAN (since 6 March 2024) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister, responsible to Parliament elections: president elected for a five-year term by an electoral college consisting of Parliament and the presidents of the regional councils; election for president last held 23 July 2022 (next to be held in 2027); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by Parliament from among its members; general elections last held 13 January 2022 (next to be held in 2026) election results: Nikenike VUROBARAVU elected president in the ninth round of voting by the electoral college on 23 July 2022; Charlot SALWAI elected prime minister by Parliament on 6 March 2024 following the resignation of Sato KILMAN

Legislative Branch

Unicameral Parliament (52 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) Elections: Last held on 13 March 2024 (next to be held in 2028) Election results: Seats by party — Vanua'aku Pati (VP) 9, Union of Moderate Parties (UMP) 7, Rural Development Party (RDP) 7, Reunification of Movements for Change (RMC) 5, National United Party (NUP) 4, Laverwo Naleo Vanuatu (LNV) 3, People's Progressive Party (PPP) 3, other and independent 14; note — political party associations remain fluid and coalition alignments frequently shift following elections Note: The National Council of Chiefs (Malvatu Mauri) serves in an advisory capacity on matters of culture and custom, and holds a constitutionally recognized role in Vanuatu's governance structure

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

Jon Frum Movement [Song KEASPAI]; Melanesian Progressive Party or MPP [Barak SOPE]; National United Party or NUP [leader NA]; Union of Moderate Parties or UMP [Serge VOHOR]; Vanua'aku Pati (Our Land Party) or VP [Edward NATAPEI]; Vanuatu Greens Party or VGP [Moana CARCASSES]; Vanuatu Republican Party or VRP [Maxime Carlot KORMAN]

Head of State

President Nikenike VUROBARAVU

Head of Government

Prime Minister Charlot SALWAI

Cabinet

Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister, responsible to Parliament

Elections

Last held on 13 March 2024 (next to be held in 2028)

Election Results

Seats by party following the most recent legislative election — Vanua'aku Pati (VP) 7, Union of Moderate Parties (UMP) 7, Rural Development Party (RDP) 6, Reunification of Movements for Change (RMC) 4, National United Party (NUP) 4, People's Progressive Party (PPP) 3, Laverwo Naleo Vanuatu (LNV) 2, Land and Justice Party (GJP) 3, other and independent 16; note — political party associations remain fluid and coalition alignments frequently shift following elections, often resulting in votes of no confidence and changes in government between electoral cycles. The National Council of Chiefs (Malvatu Mauri) serves in an advisory capacity on matters of culture and custom, and holds a constitutionally recognized role in Vanuatu's governance structure.

Constitution

30-Jul-80

Independence

30 July 1980 (from France and UK)

National Holiday

Independence Day, 30 July (1980)

International Organization Participation

ACCT, ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, NAM, PIF, Sparteca, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic Representation in the U.S.

Vanuatu does not have an embassy in the US; it does, however, have a Permanent Mission to the UN

U.S. Diplomatic Representation

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

Capital City

Port-Vila (on Efate)

Location

17 44 S, 168 19 E

Time Difference

UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

History

there are two possibilities for the origin of the name: early European settlers were Portuguese and "vila" means "village or town" in Portuguese, hence "Port-Vila" would mean "Port Town"; alternatively, the site of the capital is referred to as "Efil" or "Ifira" in native languages, "Vila" is a likely corruption of these names

U.S. Embassy in Papua New Guinea Douglas Street, Port Moresby Express/courier mail service address: U.S. Embassy, Douglas St., Port Moresby, NCD 121. Mailing address: PO Box 1492, Port Moresby, NCD 121, Papua New Guinea Telephone: 675 321-1455 After-hours emergency number for U.S. citizens: 675 7200-9439 Email: consularportmoresby@state.gov

Military Branches

no regular military forces; Vanuatu Police Force (VPF), Vanuatu Mobile Force (VMF; includes Police Maritime Wing (PMW))