Vanuatu - September 2023

Vanuatu’s parliament elected Sato Kilman as prime minister for the fifth time on 4 September, replacing Alatoi Kalsaku, whose final judicial appeal against a 25 August no-confidence vote was dismissed earlier in the day. The trigger for the vote was Kalsakau’s signing of a defense pact with Australia, which opposition MPs said jeopardized the country’s neutrality. Kilman, who is Vanuatu’s fourth head of state in five years, has vowed to “revisit” the agreement.

Sources: Radio New Zealand, New York Times, Reuters