Vanuatu Legal Profile

Vanuatu has a unicameral parliament. Parliament is composed of fifty-two members, directly elected by citizens from multi-member constituencies for a four-year term.

The Head of State is the president who is elected by an Electoral College, consisting of parliament and the leaders of the provincial governments, for a five-year term. The Head of Government is the Prime Minister who is elected by parliament from among its members.

The legal system is a combined common law system, incorporating British, French and customary law. The constitution is the supreme law.

Vanuatu ranks 64th on Transparency International 2019.  Corruption and abuse of power can be seen in Vanuatu. In 2015 14 government ministers and lawmakers were found guilty on charges of corruption by the country’s Supreme Court. This number represents almost one-third of Vanuatu’s parliament, who were all facing prison sentences of up to 10 years. Many had accepted bribes of 1 million vatu ($9,000) to help overthrow the previous government. Vanuatu’s constitution allows the speaker of parliament to assume all presidential powers and duties while the president is abroad. This includes the ability to pardon anyone convicted of a crime. While the president was out of the country, the speaker of parliament who was also convicted, pardoned himself and all of the 13 others convicted before the president’s return.

References

Vanuatu, https://www.transparency.org/country/VUT

Trouble in Paradise: Intrigue and Corruption in Vanuatu, by Benjamin David Baker, 14^th October 2015,

https://thediplomat.com/2015/10/trouble-in-paradise-intrigue-and-corruption-in-vanuatu/

Trouble in Paradise: Intrigue and Corruption in Vanuatu, by Benjamin David Baker, 14^th October 2015,

https://thediplomat.com/2015/10/trouble-in-paradise-intrigue-and-corruption-in-vanuatu/

https://oec.world/en/profile/country/vut/

Ease of doing business index 2019, https://www.doingbusiness.org/en/data/exploreeconomies/vanuatu

Economic freedom index 2019, https://www.heritage.org/index/country/vanuatu

Vanuatu revives coffee industry four years post Cyclone pam, 7^th June 2019, https://teaomaori.news/vanuatu-revives-coffee-industry-four-years-post-cyclone-pam

Vanuatu country profile, BBC, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16426193

Vanuatu country profile, BBC, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16426193

What Is The Capital Of Vanuatu?, https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-is-the-capital-of-vanuatu.html

Vanuatu population, https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/vanuatu-population/

Vanuatu population, https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/vanuatu-population/

Vanuatu country profile, BBC, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16426193

Vanuatu country profile, BBC, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16426193

Vanuatu country profile, BBC, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16426193

Musical chairs in Melanesia, https://www.economist.com/banyan/2010/12/17/musical-chairs-in-melanesia