Yearbook 2009
Vanuatu. According to countryaah, the country’s president, Kalkot Kelekele, in June appealed to Parliament and the government to try to overcome the political instability in the country. The policy is characterized by personal power struggles, government transformations and many distrustful votes against incumbent prime ministers. Kelekele proposed eight constitutional amendments, which he believed should be able to begin discussion in 2009 and be introduced before the next parliamentary elections in 2012. One of the proposals was that the country should have a people-elected president who is both head of state and heads the government. Kelekele also suggested that Parliament should not be able to dismiss the president through a vote of no confidence, but that he/ she could only be dismissed by a special body. Kelekele’s term of office expired in August. In September, Parliament appointed Iolu Johnson Abil as his successor to the presidential post, which is largely representative. Johnson Abil had previously been a minister in the first government after Vanuatu’s independence in 1980. See ABBREVIATIONFINDER for abbreviation VU which stands for the nation of Vanuatu.
In November, Prime Minister Edward Natapei reformed the government for the second time since he took office after the parliamentary elections in September 2008. Half of the ministerial posts went to opposition politicians, which was a way to avoid another vote of no confidence. At the same time, this meant that Parliament’s Speaker, Maxime Carlot Korman, would resign when the party he is leading, the Vanuatu Republican Party, had been forced to leave the government and run into opposition. Korman was to be replaced by George Wells, but for the longest time tried to remain in his post. When Prime Minister Natapei was on November 27-29 at the Commonwealth Summit in Trinidad and Tobago, the President tried to dismiss him. Korman announced that Natapei had lost his seat in Parliament because he had been absent from three consecutive sessions without giving written notice, as required by law. Such neglect gives the President the right to dismiss a Member of Parliament and Natapei would also lose his post as Prime Minister. Natapei appealed to the Supreme Court, which on December 5 surprisingly ruled that the decision to exclude Natapei from Parliament violated the Constitution. Natapei was allowed to retain his parliamentary seat and continue as prime minister. Even before the court had made its decision, the opposition demanded another vote of no confidence against Prime Minister Natapei, the fifth since he came to power in September 2008. The vote took place on December 10 and Natapei survived this too. In 2009, the government was unable to dismiss Korman from the President’s post because he succeeded in stopping all debates and votes on the issue.
Shopping
Overview
Grass shirts, baskets, carvings, masks and shell necklaces. Duty-free shops have a good range of luxury goods. Shop opening hours: Mon-Fri 08.00-12.00 and 14.00-18.00, Sat 08.00-12.00. Chinese shops are open on Sundays from 8 a.m. until evening.
Nightlife
Introduction
Port Vila offers several nightclubs with music and dancing, as well as two cinemas and a drive-in cinema. Night cruises usually include wine, snacks, and folklore and music performances. Visitors are welcome at numerous traditional festivals. Some hotels offer evening entertainment with dancing.
Culinary
Overview
There are excellent restaurants in the main resort areas. Seafood is on every menu in Port Vila and the other major cities. The numerous cultural influences of Vanuatu, especially Chinese and French cuisine, are omnipresent.
Culture
Religion
Christianity (80%), along with cargo cults and followers of natural religions (8%).
Social Rules of Conduct
Everyday clothing is usually appropriate. Smarter restaurants and bars expect more formal attire in the evenings. Life is more leisurely. Tipping is not expected, a 10% service tax will be added to restaurant bills.
Climate
Best travel time
Subtropical. Vanuatu’s seasons are opposite to those of the northern hemisphere. The trade wind blows from May to October, from November to April it is warm, humid and muggy. Cyclones can occur between December and April.
Country data
Phone prefix
+678
Area (sq km)
12190
Population
307,145
Population density (per square km)
22
Population statistics year
2020
Main emergency number
112