Vanuatuan general election, 2012
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| This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Vanuatu |
General elections were held in Vanuatu on 30 October 2012.[1] The previous elections to the 52-member Parliament of Vanuatu were held in 2008. The largest parties in this election were the socialist Vanua'aku Party, which won 11 seats, and the social-democratic National United Party (8 seats). Thirteen other parties as well as four independents won parliamentary seats. As a result, Edward Natapei of the Vanua'aku Party was able to become the Prime Minister. Since then, both Serge Vohor of the conservative Union of Moderate Parties and Sato Kilman of the People's Progress Party have held that position, with Kilman being the incumbent Prime Minister of Vanuatu at the time of the 2012 election.
Electoral system
The 52 members of Parliament will be elected in 17 multi-member constituencies, using the single non-transferable vote.[2]
Candidates had to be at least 25 years old, and could not have an undischarged prison sentence or bankruptcy.[3] They also required the support of at least five registered voters in their constituency, and had to put down a non-refundable 50,000 vatu deposit.[3] The President, judges, magistrates, civil servants, police officers, teachers and members of the National Council of Chiefs were all ineligible for election to Parliament.[3]
Campaign
346 candidates from 32 political parties contested the 52 seats.[4]
There were 344 polling stations throughout the country, including 12 in the capital city, Port Vila.[5] Over 192,000 citizens were eligible to vote in the 2012 election, with 34,998 registered voters in the capital city.[5]
The election was being observed by representatives from Australia, China, the European Union and the United States, as well as the High Commissioner of New Zealand to Vanuatu, Bill Dobie.[6] The international observers will submit a report on the election to the Vanuatuan government once the election is completed.[6]
Results
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union of Moderate Parties | 14,675 | 12.19 | 5 | –2 |
| Vanua'aku Party | 13,593 | 11.29 | 8 | –3 |
| People's Progress Party | 9,642 | 8.01 | 6 | +2 |
| National United Party | 7,456 | 6.20 | 4 | –4 |
| Land and Justice Party | 7,241 | 6.02 | 4 | New |
| Namangi Aute | 6,921 | 5.75 | 3 | New |
| Nagriamel | 5,092 | 4.23 | 3 | +2 |
| Iauko Group | 4,425 | 3.68 | 3 | New |
| Green Confederation | 4,219 | 3.51 | 3 | +1 |
| Vanuatu Republican Party | 3,627 | 3.01 | 1 | New |
| Melanesian Progressive Party | 3,379 | 2.81 | 2 | +1 |
| Vanuatu Liberal Democratic Party | 2,982 | 2.48 | 1 | New |
| Vanuatu Presidential Party | 2,888 | 2.40 | 0 | New |
| Vanuatu Democratic Party | 2,110 | 1.75 | 0 | 0 |
| Vanuatu National Party | 1,955 | 1.62 | 1 | 0 |
| Natatok Indigenous People's Democratic Party | 1,915 | 1.59 | 2 | New |
| National Community Association | 1,878 | 1.56 | 0 | 0 |
| Vanuatu Labour Party | 1,182 | 0.98 | 0 | –1 |
| Fren Melanesian Party | 1,069 | 0.89 | 0 | New |
| People's Services Party | 932 | 0.77 | 1 | New |
| Union Liberation Front | 758 | 0.63 | 0 | New |
| Vanuatu Progressive Republican Party | 671 | 0.56 | 0 | New |
| People's Action Party | 653 | 0.54 | 0 | –1 |
| Vanuatu Progressive Development Party | 634 | 0.5 | 1 | New |
| Vemarana 15 Islands Culture | 561 | 0.47 | 0 | New |
| Vanuatu Reform Democratic Party | 525 | 0.44 | 0 | New |
| Movement Blong ol Chief | 450 | 0.37 | 0 | New |
| Tanna United Front | 387 | 0.32 | 0 | New |
| Independent Movement | 252 | 0.21 | 0 | New |
| Vanuatu Liberal Party | 186 | 0.15 | 0 | New |
| Vanuatu Family First Party | 144 | 0.12 | 0 | –1 |
| Kristian Democratic Party | 97 | 0.08 | 0 | New |
| Universal Ethnic System | 87 | 0.07 | 0 | New |
| Vanuatu Democratic & Liberal Party | 55 | 0.05 | 0 | New |
| Vanuatu Freedom Party | 27 | 0.02 | 0 | New |
| Vanuatu Democratic and Liberal Party for Change | 20 | 0.02 | 0 | New |
| Independents | 17,666 | 14.68 | 4 | 0 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 1,541 | – | – | – |
| Total | 121,895 | 100 | 52 | 0 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 184,463 | 66.08 | – | – |
| Source: Adam Carr | ||||
Subsequent by-elections
- Tanna by-election, 2013, following the death of Harry Iauko, Iauko Group MP for Tanna. By-election won by his son Pascal Iauko (Iauko Group)
- Port-Vila by-election, 2015, following the death of Edward Natapei, Vanua'aku Party MP for Port-Vila. The by-election will take place in October.
References
- ↑ Country Profile IFES
- ↑ "Electoral system design data for Vanuatu | Electoral System Design | International IDEA". www.idea.int. Retrieved 2015-12-11.
- 1 2 3 Electoral system IPU
- ↑ "Vanuatu election: Early results trickle in". Australia Network News. 2012-10-31. Retrieved 2012-10-30.
- 1 2 "Polling has begun in Vanuatu's general election". Radio New Zealand International. 2012-10-29. Retrieved 2012-10-30.
- 1 2 "New Zealand diplomat reassured after observing Vanuatu election". Radio New Zealand International. 2012-10-30. Retrieved 2012-10-30.
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