Edward Natapei

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
In this ni-Vanuatu name, the surname is Natapei, and the traditional name is Tuta Fanua`araki.
Edward Natapei
Jean Marie Leye Lenelgau
Succeeded byJohn Bani
Personal details
Born17 July 1954
Futuna Island, Tafea Province, New Hebrides (now Vanuatu)[1]
Died28 July 2015(2015-07-28) (aged 61)
Port Vila, Vanuatu
Political partyVanua'aku Pati
SpouseLeipaki Natapei

Edward Nipake Natapei Tuta Fanua`araki

socialist, Anglophone
political party.

Politics

Natapei was first elected to Parliament in 1983. In 1996, he was elected as speaker of Parliament, and in 1999 he was elected as President of Vanua'aku Pati.

Ham Lini for the post of prime minister, but Lini was defeated; however, Serge Vohor was ousted in a motion of no confidence and Ham Lini was elected prime minister. Being Vanua'aku Party President entitled Natapei to the post of Speaker of the House, which he declined and referred to Sam Dan Avock
, who was a Party Executive Member.

Natapei became minister for Infrastructure and Public Utilities in the Lini-led government in July 2005.[4] A split in Vanua'aku Pati was resolved in August 2005, and Natapei was re-elected as its president,[8][9] receiving 124 votes against 67 for Sela Molisa.[9] In late July 2007 he became Minister of Public Utilities again, replacing Serge Vohor, as well as becoming Deputy Prime Minister.[10]

Second term as Prime Minister (2008–2011)

Natapei was elected Prime Minister on 22 September 2008, by the

Namangi Aute.[12]

Natapei pledged to continue the policies and reforms of the outgoing Lini government.

transparency, good governance and fighting corruption.[11]

Opposition leader Maxime Carlot Korman attempted a

technicality saying that one of the two MPs in question had not withdrawn their support for Natapei's government.[13] A no-confidence vote was nevertheless held on 3 October 2008, but the motion was defeated, with 20 votes in favor and 31 votes against. Because Natapei's government won the vote by a substantial margin, it was expected that the political situation would be stabilized as a result.[14] Nevertheless, another motion of no confidence was attempted on 25 November 2008; Natapei survived the vote by a narrow margin of 26 to 24.[15] Three Vanua'aku Pati MPs signed the motion of no confidence, and after they refused to withdraw their signatures, Natapei suspended them from the party immediately prior to the vote.[16]

In November 2009 Prime Minister Natapei, facing another

vote of no confidence, organized a second major cabinet reshuffle.[17] Natapei removed half of his cabinet members and cut ties with two political parties, the National United Party and the Vanuatu Republican Party, when it was revealed that the parties and their members were planning to launch a no confidence motion against his government.[17]

Natapei replaced the sacked cabinet members with sixteen members from the opposition Alliance.

Ham Lini, Natapei's predecessor and a member of the NUP, was replaced as Natapei's deputy prime minister by the leader of the Alliance bloc, Sato Kilman.[17] In 2010 Maxime Carlot Korman was replaced as the Speaker of parliament by George Wells only for Kormanti to return later and succeed Wells in the position again .[17] Alliance leader Sato Kilman confirmed that because of the reshuffle the Natapei government now had the support of 33 of the 52 MPs in the House.[17]

On 27 November 2009, Natapei became ineligible to continue serving as prime minister. His parliamentary seat was declared vacant as he had missed three parliamentary sittings without informing the Speaker of the House. Despite being overseas on legitimate parliamentary business, his staff had failed to file the necessary paperwork with the Speaker to give notice of his absence.[18] Serge Vohor became the acting prime minister.[19] On December 5, however, Chief Justice Vincent Lunabek ruled that "the Speaker’s decision to unseat the PM on 27 November 2009 was ‘unconstitutional and of no legal effect’".[20] On December 10, Parliament formally confirmed their confidence in Natapei, who thus remained Prime Minister.[21]

As of June 2010 Natapei retained the prime ministership, with the support of 34 MPs (against 18 for the Opposition).[22]

On December 2, 2010 Natapei was ousted by a vote of no confidence. He was succeeded by Sato Kilman.[23]

On June 16, 2011 however, Chief Justice Vincent Lunabek ruled in a case put forward by Natapei, contesting the constitutionality of Kilman's election. Lunabek ruled that Kilman's election to office had indeed been unconstitutional, as "[t]he speaker of Parliament Maxime Carlot Korman [had] appointed Mr Kilman prime minister without following article 41 of the constitution which required he be elected by secret ballot". Kilman's premiership was annulled, and Natapei was restored as interim prime minister, instructed to convene Parliament for the election of a new prime minister.[24][25] Natapei immediately indicated that he himself would not be a candidate for the position, and that he would support Serge Vohor's candidacy.[26]

During his interim premiership, Natapei cancelled Vanuatu's diplomatic recognition of Abkhazia, issued by Kilman the previous month.[27]

On June 26, Parliament elected Sato Kilman to the premiership, with 29 votes to Serge Vohor's 23, thus ending Natapei's interim duties.[28]

First cabinet

Main article: Cabinet of Vanuatu

Natapei named his government's

Public Utilities and Works.[29]

Natapei's full cabinet included:[29]

  • Bakoa Kaltongga as the Minister of Justice and Social Welfare (VP
    )
  • Sela Molisa as Finance Minister (VP)
  • Namangi Aute) (Telukluk is the lone member of Natapei's cabinet from Namangi Aute.)[29]
  • Charlot Salwai as Minister of Education (Union of Moderate Parties)
  • Serge Vohor as Minister for Infrastructure & Public Utilities (UMP)
  • Sato Kilman as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Commerce and Industries (People's Progressive Party)
  • Moana Carcasses Kalosil as the Minister for Internal Affairs (Greens)
  • Moses Kahu as Minister of Health (VP)
  • Stephen Kalsakau as Minister of Agriculture
  • Joe Natuman as Minister of Foreign Affairs (VP)
  • Raphael Worwor as Minister of Youth, Development and Training (UMP)

A few days before the motion of no confidence was debated in Parliament Prime Minister Natapei brought into the government side the Union Of Moderate Parties (UMP) and reshuffled his cabinet for the first time as follows:

  • Bakoa Kaltongga as the Minister of Foreign Affairs (VP
    )
  • Sela Molisa as Finance Minister (VP)
  • Joe Natuman as Minister of Health (VP) (Replacing Roro Sambo (VNUP))
  • Ham Lini as DPM and Minister for Justice and Social Welfare (Replacing Joshua Kalsakau)(VNUP
    )
  • James Bule as Minister for Trade, Commerce & Industries (VNUP)
  • Patrick Crowby as the Minister for Internal Affairs (VNUP)
  • Havo Moli as Minister of Agriculture
  • Don Ken as Minister of Youth, Development and Training
  • Serge Vohor as Minister of Infrastructure and Public Utilities (UMP)
  • Raphael Worwor as Minister of Lands (UMP) (Replacing Joe Natuman)
  • Charlot Salwai as Minister of Education (UMP) (Replacing Willie Ruben Abel)
  • Esmon Saimon as Minister of Ni Vanuatu Business (Independent)

Later career

Natapei was Leader of the Opposition during

diplomatic passports by previous governments. Within his first few days in office, he revoked the passports of "about ten" diplomats who are understood to have bought them. In a review praised by Transparency International, he indicated that more than two thirds of the country's diplomats could lose their position, as their appointment had not followed proper procedures.[31]

Natapei lost office when the Carcasses government was brought down by a motion of no confidence on 15 May 2014.[32]

Natapei died on 28 July 2015 at the age of 61 following a long illness.[33]

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 9781317639398
    . Retrieved 28 July 2015 – via google.ca.
  2. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2015-07-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ "The Nation Mourns".
  4. ^ a b "Biographies of Speakers: Pacific 2020 Conference", AusAID. Archived September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "Nov 1999 – New government", Keesing's Record of World Events, Volume 45, November, 1999 Vanuatu, Page 43269.
  6. ^ "Apr 2001 – New government", Keesing's Record of World Events, Volume 47, April, 2001 Vanuatu, Page 44111.
  7. ^ "May 2002 – Legislative elections", Keesing's Record of World Events, Volume 48, May, 2002 Vanuatu, Page 44795.
  8. Radio New Zealand International
    . 31 August 2005. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  9. ^ a b "Former PM to lead reunified party in Vanuatu", ABC Radio Australia, 31 August 2005.[dead link]
  10. ^ "Vanuatu reshuffles cabinet again", ABC Radio Australia, 30 July 2007.
  11. ^ a b c d e "Vanuatu lawmakers elect Natapei as prime minister". International Herald Tribune. Associated Press. 2008-09-22. Archived from the original on September 26, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
  12. Radio New Zealand International. Pacific Magazine. 2008-09-22. Retrieved 2008-09-22.[dead link
    ]
  13. ^
    Radio New Zealand International. 2008-09-25. Retrieved 2008-09-27.[dead link
    ]
  14. ^ "Vanuatu government defeats no confidence motion convincingly", ABC Radio Australia, 3 October 2008. Archived April 4, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ "Vanuatu government survives confidence vote", Associated Press (International Herald Tribune), 25 November 2008.[dead link]
  16. ^ "Three Vanuatu MPs suspended", ABC Radio Australia, 25 November 2008.
  17. ^
    Radio New Zealand International
    . 2009-11-18. Retrieved 2009-11-20.
  18. ^ "Vanuatu PM forgets paperwork, loses seat". ABC News. 27 November 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  19. ^ "Leaders raise food security concerns". Fiji Times. 23 April 2010. Archived from the original on 2012-08-25. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
  20. ^ "Natapei retains seat: CJ rules", Vanuatu Daily Post, December 7, 2009[dead link]
  21. ^ "PM Natapei defeats motion with 36 MPs", Vanuatu Daily Post, December 11, 2009[dead link]
  22. ^ "Govt numbers remain intact", Vanuatu Daily Post, June 1, 2010[dead link]
  23. ^ "Vanuatu's Natapei ousted in no confidence challenge". Radio New Zealand International. 2010-12-02. Retrieved 2010-12-02.
  24. Radio New Zealand International
    . 16 June 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  25. ^ "Supreme Declared Natapei, Acting Prime Minister ", Government of Vanuatu, June 16, 2011 Archived June 28, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  26. ^ "Vohor is candidate for PM: Natapei", Vanuatu Daily Post, June 18, 2011[dead link]
  27. ^ "Natapei withdraws recognition of Abkhazia". Vanuatu Daily Post. June 20, 2011. Archived from the original on January 21, 2012. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
  28. ^ "Kilman elected Vanuatu PM – ten days after ouster by court", Radio New Zealand International, June 26, 2011 Archived January 19, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  29. ^ a b c d e "New Vanuatu PM names his cabinet line-up". Radio Australia. 2008-09-22. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
  30. ^ "Nation's interest first: Carcasses" Archived March 29, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Vanuatu Daily Post, 26 March 2013
  31. ^ "Watchdog applauds clean-out of Vanuatu’s diplomatic sector", Radio New Zealand International, 13 June 2013
  32. ^ "Natuman names cabinet line-up" Archived May 17, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, Vanuatu Digest, 16 May 2014
  33. ^ "Vanuatu's former leader Natapei has died". Radio New Zealand. 27 July 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2015.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Edward Natapei.
Political offices
Preceded by
Jean Marie Leye Lenelgau
 President of Vanuatu
Acting
1999 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Prime Minister of Vanuatu
2001–2004 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Ham Lini
 Prime Minister of Vanuatu
2008–2010 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Prime Minister of Vanuatu
Acting
2011 		Succeeded by
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