Over 20 Apply, Three Women

The Electoral Office has confirmed that just over 20 applications for the position of President for the Republic of Vanuatu, were filed by 5pm Wednesday afternoon.

Three female candidates were among male candidates that applied for the presidential post, whose election will take place Monday next week.

However, as of 4pm yesterday, the Daily Post understands that, of the three female candidates, it is likely only one will remain on the final list after full and final screening.

While a list of names of 15 candidates was circulated on the social media, the Electoral Office says there were over 20 candidates as of 4pm yesterday, as the screening of names was being finalized.

The final list will be published in the Government’s Official Gazette and officially declared as eligible candidates, and read out over Radio Vanuatu around 4 to 4.30pm today.

In the last presidential election in 2014, there were 23 applicants.

Daily Post understands that members of the Electoral College which take in all 52 Members of Parliament (MPs) and the 6 Presidents of the Provincial Councils will all be present on Monday next week for the election of the new President which the Daily Post understands will commence at around 9am. This was also confirmed by the Office of the Speaker of Parliament.

In the meantime, the presidential candidates are already lobbying political groupings, individual MPs and other members of the Electoral College rallying support for their candidatures.

The successful elected candidate on Monday next week, will be the 9th President of the Republic of Vanuatu since the country became independent on July 30, 1980.

The first President of Vanuatu on July 30, 1980, Ati George Sokomanu, is one of the surviving former Presidents of the Republic of Vanuatu, and the last President who left the post of Presidency was the late President Baldwin Lonsdale, only Vanuatu President who died while in office.

The Daily Post could not reach major political parties including; the Vanuaa’aku Pati,(VP), the Union of Moderate Parties (UMP), the Reunification of the Moderate Parties (RMC) the National United Party (NUP), the Graon mo Jastis Pati (GJP), the Nagriamel, the Vanuatu People’s Party (VPP), if they nominated any candidates.

It would be interesting to see which candidate, the government of the Prime Minister Charlot Salwai, will be supporting for the position of Presidency, as the government now commands the majority of MPs in Parliament, even if the six presidents of the provincial councils decide otherwise.

If all parties now in the current coalition government that commands the majority of the PMs in Parliament agree to only one candidate, then Vanuatu could avoid the same political wrangling it went through during the election of the last president which took seven rounds of vote before the late President was voted into office by the Electoral College.