2008 Vanuatuan general election

2008 Vanuatuan general election

← 2004 2 September 2008 2012 →

All 52 seats in Parliament

Party Leader % Seats +/– Vanua'aku Pati Edward Natapei 14.71 11 +3 National United Ham Lini 11.64 8 −2 UMP Serge Vohor 10.67 7 −1 Republican Maxime Carlot Korman 7.75 7 +3 People's Progressive Sato Kilman 5.14 4 0 Green Confederation 3.44 2 −1 National 3.31 1 +1 Melanesian Progressive 2.92 1 −2 Labour 2.91 1 +1 Nagriamel 2.87 1 +1 Family First 2.22 1 New People's Action 1.72 1 0 Namangi Aute 1.12 1 0 Shepherds Alliance 0.96 1 New VPRFP 0.80 1 New Independents – 20.31 4 −4 This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below. Prime Minister before Subsequent Prime Minister Ham Lini National United Vanua'aku Pati

Politics of Vanuatu
Constitution Malvatu Mauri (National Council of Chiefs) President Nikenike Vurobaravu Prime Minister Charlot Salwai Cabinet Parliament Speaker Members Political parties Recent elections General: 2016 2020 2022 Administrative divisions Foreign relations Minister of Foreign Affairs Visa policy
Other countries
v t e

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.^[1] The Principal Electoral Officer, Martin Tete, confirmed that the election would take place on 2 September, as scheduled.^[2] The day was declared a national holiday, to encourage people to vote.^[3]

Over three hundred candidates, of which nine women, stood for election,^[4] representing twenty-five political parties and approximately eighty independents.^[5] There were 170,000 registered voters, and fifty-two seats to fill in Parliament in 17 multi-member constituencies.^[6]

Preliminary results

Unofficial preliminary results were expected on 3 September 2008, with official results expected to take up to a week.

• 2009 Southern Islands by-election, following the death of Ture Kailo, Vanua'aku MP for the Southern Islands. By-election won by Vanua'aku Party candidate Philip Charley.

Analysis

Derek Brien, of the Pacific Policy Institute of Public Policy in Port Vila, made the following comment on the election:

"In effect we've had two elections here in Vanuatu. We've got the election here in town, Port Vila, and Efate, the island on which it's situated, and then the rest of the country where 80 per cent of the population lives. And I say that because in the lead up to the election a lot of the media, a lot of the analysts were predicting a mood for change. I think what we forgot in that debate, or in that discussion in the lead up to the election, what was the rest of the country talking about. The rural areas where the majority of people don't have access to newspapers, televisions and, in the last few years, radio because there's been a problem with the transmitter. And in a lot of cases the rural electorate has been totally disengaged from both the government process and certainly the political process. It's not about policy basis down there. It's about patronage. It's about personalities."^[19]

See also

• List of members of the Parliament of Vanuatu (2008–2012)

References