Page last updated on February 5, 2013
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Vanuatu
conventional short form:
Vanuatu
local long form:
Ripablik blong Vanuatu
local short form:
Vanuatu
former:
New Hebrides
Government type:
parliamentary republic
Capital:
name: Port-Vila (on Efate)
geographic coordinates:
17 44 S, 168 19 E
time difference:
UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
6 provinces; Malampa, Penama, Sanma, Shefa, Tafea, Torba
Independence:
30 July 1980 (from France and the UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 30 July (1980)
Constitution:
30 July 1980
Legal system:
mixed legal system of English common law, French law, and customary law
International law organization participation:
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
[see also: Suffrage country ranks ]
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Iolu Johnson ABBIL (since 3 September 2009)
head of government:
Prime Minister Sato KILMAN (since 26 June 2011)
cabinet:
Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister, responsible to parliament
elections:
president elected for a five-year term by an electoral college consisting of parliament and the presidents of the regional councils; election for president last held on 2 September 2009 (next to be held in 2014); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually elected prime minister by parliament from among its members; election for prime minister last held on 19 November 2012 (next to be held following general elections in 2016)
election results:
Iolu Johnson ABBIL elected president, with 41 votes out of 58, on the third ballot on 2 September 2009; Sato KILMAN reelected prime minister defeating Edward NATAPEI 29 to 23
Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament (52 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections:
last held on 30 October 2012 (next to be held in 2016)
election results:
percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - VP 8, PPP 6, UMP 5, GJP 4, NUP 4, IG 3, GC 3, NAG 3, RMC 3, MPP 2, NIPDP 2, PSP 1, VLDP 1, VNP 1, VPDP 1, VRP 1, and independent 4; note - political party associations are fluid
note:
the National Council of Chiefs advises on matters of culture and language
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the president after consultation with the prime minister and the leader of the opposition, three other justices are appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission)
Political parties and leaders:
Greens Confederation or GC [Moana CARCASSES]; Iauko Group or IG [NA]; Land and Justice Party (Graon mo Jastis Pati) or GJP [Ralph REGENVANU]; Melanesian Progressive Party or MPP [Barak SOPE]; Nagriamel movement or NAG [NA]; Natatok Indigenous People's Democratic Party or (NATATOK) or NIPDP [Alfred Roland CARLOT]; National United Party or NUP [Ham LINI]; People's Progressive Party or PPP [Sato KILMAN]; People's Service Party or PSP [Don KEN]; Reunification of Movement for Change or (RMC) [Charlot SALWAI]; Union of Moderate Parties or UMP [Serge VOHOR]; Vanua'aku Pati (Our Land Party) or VP [Edward NATAPEI]; Vanuatu Democratic Party [Maxime Carlot KORMAN]; Vanuatu Liberal Democratic Party or VLDP [Tapangararua WILLIE]; Vanuatu National Party or VNP [Issac HAMARILIU]; Vanuatu Progressive Development Party or VPDP [Robert Bohn SIKOL]; Vanuatu Republican Party or VRP [Marcellino PIPITE]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, IOC, IOM, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Vanuatu does not have an embassy in the US; it does, however, have a Permanent Mission to the UN
Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Vanuatu; the US ambassador to Papua New Guinea is accredited to Vanuatu
Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a black isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) all separated by a black-edged yellow stripe in the shape of a horizontal Y (the two points of the Y face the hoist side and enclose the triangle); centered in the triangle is a boar's tusk encircling two crossed namele fern fronds, all in yellow; red represents the blood of boars and men, green the richness of the islands, and black the ni-Vanuatu people; the yellow Y-shape - which reflects the pattern of the islands in the Pacific Ocean - symbolizes the light of the Gospel spreading through the islands; the boar's tusk is a symbol of prosperity frequently worn as a pendant on the islands; the fern fronds represent peace
National symbol(s):
boar's tusk
National anthem:
name: "Yumi, Yumi, Yumi" (We, We, We)
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