The 52 members of the Parliament of Vanuatu from 2016 to 2020 were elected on 22 January 2016.
The politics of Vanuatu take place within the framework of a constitutional democracy. The constitution provides for a representative parliamentary system. The head of the Republic is an elected president. The prime minister of Vanuatu is the head of government.
Vanuatu elects on the national level a head of state—the president—and a legislature. The Parliament or Parlement has 52 members, elected for a four-year term in eight single-member constituencies and ten multi-member constituencies by first-past-the-post and single non-transferable vote, respectively. The president is elected for a five-year term by an electoral college consisting of members of Parliament and the Presidents of Regional Councils.
The Vanua'aku Pati is a democratic socialist political party in Vanuatu.
The National United Party is a political party in Vanuatu. It was founded by Vanuatu's independence leader Walter Lini when he broke away from the Vanua'aku Pati, alongside businessman Đinh Văn Thân. It is a social democratic party which traditionally received most of its support from English speakers.
The Parliament of Vanuatu is the unicameral legislative body of the Republic of Vanuatu.
General elections were held in Vanuatu on 2 September 2008. In July the Melanesian Progressive Party requested that they be postponed, contesting the constitutionality of the Peoples Representation Act No. 33 of 2007, which allegedly enabled voters in certain constituencies to vote in two constituencies. The Principal Electoral Officer, Martin Tete, confirmed that the election would take place on 2 September, as scheduled. The day was declared a national holiday, to encourage people to vote.
The Vanuatu Labour Party is a political party in Vanuatu. The party was established on 3 June 1987. It was founded on the initiative of various trade union organizations in order to contest the 1987 parliamentary election. The proposal to found the party was first presented by Ephraim Kalsakau, a leader of the Vanuatu Municipal Workers Union.
The Cabinet of Vanuatu is the cabinet of the government of the Republic of Vanuatu.
An indirect presidential election was held in Vanuatu on 1 September and 2 September 2009. The electors are the 52 MPs and the six heads of provincial governments; ten signatures of support are required for nomination. Outgoing president Kalkot Mataskelekele was renominated for a second term, but Iolu Abil ultimately succeeded in winning a five-year term after three rounds of voting by the electoral college.
The prime minister of Vanuatu is the head of government of the Republic of Vanuatu.
Esmon Esai Saimon, also referred to as Esmon Sae, is a Vanuatuan politician. From 11 February 2016 to 6 September 2019 he was Speaker of the Parliament, and in that role from 17 June 2017 to 6 July 2017 served as the acting president of Vanuatu upon the death of Baldwin Lonsdale.
General elections were held in Vanuatu on 30 October 2012. The previous elections to the 52-member Parliament of Vanuatu were held in 2008. The largest parties in this election were the socialist Vanua'aku Party, which won 11 seats, and the social-democratic National United Party. Thirteen other parties as well as four independents won parliamentary seats. As a result, Edward Natapei of the Vanua'aku Party was able to become the Prime Minister. Since then, both Serge Vohor of the conservative Union of Moderate Parties and Sato Kilman of the People's Progressive Party have held that position, with Kilman being the incumbent Prime Minister of Vanuatu at the time of the 2012 election.
General elections were held in Vanuatu on 22 January 2016. The previous elections occurred in October 2012. The president of Vanuatu, Baldwin Lonsdale, dissolved the Parliament of Vanuatu in November 2015. This occurred after the conviction of 14 parliamentarians for bribery. The convicted MPs include former Prime Ministers Serge Vohor and Moana Carcasses Kalosil. The president called for a snap election to form a new government.
The Iauko Group or Eagle Group is a political party in Vanuatu.
The Friend Melanesian Party (FMP) is a political party in Vanuatu. The party is usually seen as close to the Union of Moderate Parties.
Alatoi Ishmael Kalsakau is a Vanuatuan politician who served as Prime Minister of the Republic of Vanuatu from 4 November 2022 until 4 September 2023. He is the head of the Union of Moderate Parties in Vanuatu
General elections were held in Vanuatu on 19–20 March 2020. The elections were initially intended to be held on 19 March, but logistical problems resulted in some areas voting the following day.
On 21–23 July 2022 an election was held indirectly to elect the president of Vanuatu.
Nikenike Vurobaravu is a Vanuatuan diplomat and politician who has served as President of Vanuatu since 23 July 2022. Previously having been employed in numerous diplomatic and government positions, including as the first resident High Commissioner to Fiji, he was elected as president during the eighth round of the 2022 Vanuatuan presidential election in July 2022. He is a member of the Vanua'aku Pati (VP) political party.
Snap general elections were held in Vanuatu on 13 October 2022 to elect all 52 seats in Parliament. President Nikenike Vurobaravu dissolved Parliament in August 2022 on advice of the Council of Ministers ahead of a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Bob Loughman.