Supreme Court strikes out petition by former Vanuatu PM Kilman pina.com.fj - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pina.com.fj Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Vanuatu's Supreme Court has ruled that a no-confidence motion in Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau was won by the nation's opposition party last week, but has stayed action to remove him to allow for an appeal. 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 criticising Kalsakau for signing a security pact with Australia, and raising the minimum wage. Supreme Court judge Edwin Goldsbrough ruled on Friday that an absolute majority in a parliament with 51 members is 26.
Sato Kilman became Vanuatu’s third prime minister in less than 10 months after the Supreme Court ruled that last month’s no-confidence motion had, indeed, passed.