NUP and VRP to sign solidarity agreement

The National United Party (NUP) and Vanuatu Republican Party (VRP) were supposed to sign a solidarity agreement Friday last week but this was postponed for changes to be made to clauses of the agreement.

Local media were requested to cover the signing agreement at Parliament House at 10.30am.

However, the signing agreement did not proceed at that time and Daily Post could not get confirmation of another time for the signing.

Sources confirmed that the solidarity agreement between the two parties is not new as they have worked together under such agreement in the past.
At this stage the solidarity agreement has been delayed because of the need for changes to clauses in the document.

Meanwhile, Daily Post was reliably informed that another motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Sato Kilman is looming. Reliable sources within government said the Opposition has already collected 24 signatures and is lobbying for numbers from the Government side.

By midday Friday last week, Daily Post learnt that a meeting was convened between political parties within the Government and NUP party officials relating to NUP's intention to sign a solidarity agreement with the Vanuatu Republican Party faction led by the party president Maxime Carlot Korman.

Reports say political parties within the Government were concerned about the move by NUP’s intention to sign a solidarity agreement with the VRP faction that opposed the Kilman-led coalition government when the last motion was debated.

But a VRP source said the agreement is for both political parties to work together under the government of Prime Minister Sato Kilman.

The Opposition has already made one attempt to overthrow Prime Minister Sato Kilman. The first attempt was Monday last week when a motion of no trust against PM Kilman was withdrawn by Opposition Leader, Edward Natapei, because of lack of numbers on his side. Immediately after withdrawing the motion Monday last week, Natapei said that there will be another motion of no confidence shortly.

The current political push by the Opposition to topple PM Kilman is seen by some political observers as revenge by the Opposition as a result of PM Kilman overthrowing Natapei when he was Prime Minister in the last coalition government.