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General elections were held in the New Hebrides on 14 November 1979 for the seats in Representative Assembly, the last before independence the following year. The result was a victory for the Vanua'aku Pati, which won 25 of the 39 seats, with its partner party Natui Tanno winning one. Voter turnout was 90.3%. [1]
Prior to the elections, the New Hebrides Federal Party was formed by former members of Tanunion and Natatok, as well as members of Nagriamel. [2]
The 39 members of the legislature were elected from 15 constituencies. [3]
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanua'aku Pati | 28,636 | 60.77 | 25 | |
| New Hebrides Federal Party | 5,742 | 12.19 | 5 | |
| Moderate Party | 2,731 | 5.80 | 2 | |
| Namangi Aute | 1,985 | 4.21 | 2 | |
| John Frum Movement | 1,050 | 2.23 | 1 | |
| Kapiel | 985 | 2.09 | 1 | |
| Natui Tanno | 719 | 1.53 | 1 | |
| Kastom | 683 | 1.45 | 0 | |
| Natatok | 640 | 1.36 | 0 | |
| Tabwemasana | 155 | 0.33 | 0 | |
| Independents | 3,796 | 8.06 | 2 | |
| Total | 47,122 | 100.00 | 39 | |
| Valid votes | 47,122 | 99.12 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 418 | 0.88 | ||
| Total votes | 47,540 | 100.00 | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 52,636 | 90.32 | ||
| Source: Zorgbibe [4] | ||||
After it was announced that the Vanua'aku Pati had also won a majority on the regional assembly election of Espiritu Santo were announced, supporters of Nagriamel and Tabwemasana took to the streets with weapons to tell immigrants to leave the island. Almost 360 people took sanctuary in the Anglican church compound and around 350–500 people fled the island. [5]
On 29 November the Representative Assembly elected Walter Lini as Chief Minister. Lini received 26 votes, defeating Gérard Leymang who received three; three members abstained and seven MHAs from Espiritu Santo boycotted the session, claiming there had been electoral fraud. [5]
| Position | Member |
|---|---|
| Chief Minister Minister of Justice | Walter Lini |
| Deputy Chief Minister Minister of the Interior | George Kalkoa |
| Minister of Education | Donald Kalpokas |
| Minister of Finance | Kalpokor Kalsakau |
| Minister of Health | George Worek |
| Minister of Lands | Sethy Regenvanu |
| Minister of Natural Resources | Thomas Reuben |
| Minister of Social Affairs | Willie Korisa |
| Minister of Transport, Communications and Civil Aviation | John Naupa |
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