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Vanuatu

https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/

May 2024

Public approves constitutional amendments in referendum

Voters approved two constitutional amendments aimed at improving political stability in a national referendum on 29 May. The amendments aim to bring political stability by weakening the ability of MPs to engage in the kind of behaviour that has made political stability endemic in the country, such as forming single-MP parties and changing partisan affiliation in order to obtain political favours, and in turn strengthen political parties. The two amendments, which were previously approved by parliament in December 2023, (a) require a member of parliament (MP) who leaves or resigns from her/his political party to also vacate the seat in parliament and (b) mandate that MPs who are elected but do not belong to a party join one within three months or vacate the seat. The first amendment was approved with 59 per cent of the vote and the second with 58 per cent. Political instability has long been a problem in Vanuatu, and support for the amendments grew after the country changed prime ministers three times between September and October last year.

Sources: Radio New Zealand, ConstitutionNet, Australian Broadcasting Company

December 2023

New political parties law to reduce instability

Vanuatu’s parliament passed the Political Parties Registration Act on 12 December with 42 votes in the 52-seat chamber. Members of parliament in government and the opposition hailed the passage as a major step forward in ending years of political instability, rooted in part in the lack of restrictions on party-switching or rules against forming short-lived parties without clear platforms. Parties will now have to be formally registered and meet the same financial reporting requirements as other legal institutions, like private entities and NGOs, with compliance subject to regulation by the Election Commission. Political party registration has been on the political agenda since 2015, and the bill’s passage was in part propelled by public dissatisfaction with the heightened level of political instability that has produced three prime ministers since 4 September.

Sources: Daily Post, DevPolicy Blog

October 2023

Political chaos continues with third PM in one month

Charlot Salwai was elected prime minister of Vanuatu on 6 October, making him the third prime minister in the last month. Salwai was the sole candidate before parliament following a show of hands no-confidence vote in which his predecessor Sato Kilman was ousted. Kilman had done the same to his predecessor Ishmael Kalsakau in a similar procedure on 4 September. The current government holds only a slim majority over the opposition, and defections and the removal of MPs for procedural reasons have played a role in the repeated removal of prime ministers over minor policy disagreements.

Sources: Radio New Zealand (1), ABC Australia, Radio New Zealand (2)

September 2023

Kalsakau out, Kilman in as PM

Vanuatu’s parliament elected Sato Kilman as prime minister for the fifth time on 4 September, replacing Alatoi Kalsaku, whose final judicial appeal against a 25 August no-confidence vote was dismissed earlier in the day. The trigger for the vote was Kalsakau’s signing of a defense pact with Australia, which opposition MPs said jeopardized the country’s neutrality. Kilman, who is Vanuatu’s fourth head of state in five years, has vowed to “revisit” the agreement.

Sources: Radio New Zealand, New York Times, Reuters

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Global ranking per category of democratic performance in 2023

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Representation
45/173
Rights
36/173
Rule of Law
41/173
Participation
68/173
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Basic Information

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Population Tooltip
326 740
System of government
Parliamentary system
Head of government
Prime Minister Charlot Salwai (since 2023)
Head of government party
Reunification Movement for Change
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
Single Non-Transferable Vote
Women in lower or single chamber
2.0%
Women in upper chamber
Not applicable
Last legislative election
2022
Head of state
President Nikenike Vurobaravu
Selection process for head of state
Indirect election (assembly + regional/local representatives)
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
02/05/2024
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
Outcome decision pending
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Human Rights Treaties

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State Party State party
Signatory Signatory
No Action No action
United Nations Human Right Treaties
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
State Party
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
No Action
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
No Action
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
State Party
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
State Party
Convention on the Rights of the Child
State Party
International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
No Action
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 
No Action
International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
State Party
International Labour Organisation Treaties
Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention
State Party
Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention
State Party
Equal Remuneration Convention
State Party
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
State Party
Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment
State Party
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
State Party
in
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Performance by category over the last 6 months

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Representation neutral Rule of law
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Representation neutral Participation
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Global State of Democracy Indices

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Explore the indices
Representation
Representation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rights
Rights
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rule of Law
Rule of Law
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Participation
Participation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4

Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time

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