Vanuatu Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau faces a no-confidence vote in parliament on Wednesday, after the opposition accused his government of abandoning a non-aligned foreign policy by signing a security pact with Australia. Vanuatu, at the centre of a strategic rivalry between China and Western countries in the Pacific Islands, was plunged into political crisis after opposition leader Bob Loughman lodged the no-confidence petition, which also criticised the government for raising the minimum wage. Loughman drew Vanuatu closer to China as the previous prime minister.
Despite the outcome of the no-confidence vote, there is no doubt the constant political sniping – both by lawmakers and international players – is damaging to the internal politics of Vanuatu.