{"id":1251026,"date":"2023-10-06T10:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-06T10:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asiapacificreport.nz\/?p=94204"},"modified":"2023-10-06T10:30:00","modified_gmt":"2023-10-06T10:30:00","slug":"charlot-salwai-elected-4th-prime-minister-of-vanuatu-in-three-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2023\/10\/06\/charlot-salwai-elected-4th-prime-minister-of-vanuatu-in-three-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Charlot Salwai elected 4th prime minister of Vanuatu in three years"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Koroi Hawkins<\/a>, RNZ Pacific<\/a> editor,<\/em> and Don Wiseman<\/a>, RNZ Pacific<\/a> senior journalist<\/em><\/p>\n Vanuatu’s Prime Minister Sato Kilman has been voted out through a motion-of-no-confidence in the country’s Parliament in Port Vila today.<\/p>\n The motion was carried by a show of hands, with 27 votes, in the absence of the government bench which had vacated the floor in protest ahead of the motion being moved.<\/p>\n Charlot Salwai was then nominated as the sole candidate for Prime minister and was duly-elected by secret ballot with 29 votes in the absence again of the MPs on the other side of the House.<\/p>\n Salwai was previously prime minister from February 2016 until the general election in 2020.<\/p>\n Immediately after the vote, Salwai took his oath and was installed as the new prime minister of the Republic of Vanuatu.<\/p>\n In his acceptance speech, Salwai apologised to the Vanuatu public for the ongoing “political crises” which have seen four prime ministers elected now in the the space of three years.<\/p>\n He also thanked police for keeping the peace and thanked citizens for respecting the law and each other.<\/p>\n Salwai, who is the leader of the Reunification Movement for Change Party, thanked all of the MPs who voted for him and in particular the leaders of the three major political parties in this coalition government — Ishmael Kalsakau Ma’aukoro from the Union of Moderate Parties, Jotham Napat of the Leaders Party, and Ralph Regenvanu of the Graon Mo Jastis Party.<\/p>\n Salwai said Vanuatu was facing many challenges economically, socially and environmentally with climate change, and he acknowledged the added impacts that political instability were having on local businesses and society at large.<\/p>\n “It has not yet been 12 months since the initial establishment of the government of honourable Ma’aukoro which he led following the snap election in October of 2022 yet today is the second time that we have changed the government,” Salwai said speaking in Bislama.<\/p>\n “I say sorry to the last government but we exist in this system of democracy where when the weight of the number of members moves to one side a change of government follows.”<\/p>\n Following the Prime Minister’s speech, Parliament was adjourned until 8:30am on Tuesday, October 10.<\/p>\n\n