Vanuatu - December 2023

Vanuatu’s parliament passed the Political Parties Registration Act on 12 December with 42 votes in the 52-seat chamber. Members of parliament in government and the opposition hailed the passage as a major step forward in ending years of political instability, rooted in part in the lack of restrictions on party-switching or rules against forming short-lived parties without clear platforms. Parties will now have to be formally registered and meet the same financial reporting requirements as other legal institutions, like private entities and NGOs, with compliance subject to regulation by the Election Commission. Political party registration has been on the political agenda since 2015, and the bill’s passage was in part propelled by public dissatisfaction with the heightened level of political instability that has produced three prime ministers since 4 September.

Sources: Daily Post, DevPolicy Blog