Prime Minister of Vanuatu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Prime Minister of Vanuatu
Coat of arms of Vanuatu
Incumbent Jotham Napat since 11 February 2025
Term length	for as long as the Prime Minister has the confidence of Parliament
Constituting instrument	Constitution of Vanuatu
Formation	30 July 1980
First holder	Walter Lini
Salary	Vt 67,846 weekly (32,295 USD annually)
Website	https://ogcio.gov.vu/

The Prime Minister of Vanuatu is the main leader of the government in the Republic of Vanuatu. This person is like the chief executive, making sure the country runs smoothly.

This important job was created when Vanuatu became an independent country in 1980. Walter Lini was the very first person to hold this position. Before independence, there was a similar role called Chief Minister.

The Parliament chooses the Prime Minister. The person chosen must already be a member of Parliament. Once elected, the Prime Minister gets to pick and remove members of the Council of Ministers, who are like cabinet ministers.

So far, 14 different people have served as Prime Minister of Vanuatu. Some of them have held the job more than once.

The current Prime Minister is Jotham Napat from the Leaders Party of Vanuatu. He started his term on February 11, 2025.

Understanding Prime Minister Disputes

Sometimes, there can be disagreements or legal challenges about who is the rightful Prime Minister. These situations show how important it is for the government to follow the rules.

For example, in November 2009, Prime Minister Edward Natapei was briefly told he had lost his seat. However, the courts later said this decision was wrong. So, Mr. Natapei got his job back.

Another example happened with Serge Vohor. He was Prime Minister for a short time from April to May 2011. But the Court of Appeal later decided that his election was not correct. This was because he was not elected by a clear majority of Parliament members.

Similarly, Sato Kilman's time as Prime Minister in late 2010 was also challenged. A court ruled that his election was not done according to the rules for a secret vote. After this, Edward Natapei was briefly put back in charge. The court asked him to arrange a new election for Prime Minister. This led to Sato Kilman being properly elected in June 2011, starting his first legally recognized term.

List of Vanuatu's Prime Ministers

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party	Elected	Government
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Walter Lini (1942–1999)	30 July 1980	6 September 1991	11 years, 38 days	Vanua'aku Pati	1983 1987	Lini I–II–III
–		Donald Kalpokas (1943–2019) Acting	6 September 1991	16 December 1991	101 days	Vanua'aku Pati	–	Lini III
2		Maxime Carlot Korman (born 1941)	16 December 1991	21 December 1995	4 years, 5 days	Union of Moderate Parties	1991	Korman I
3		Serge Vohor (1955–2024)	21 December 1995	23 February 1996 (Vote of no confidence)	64 days	Union of Moderate Parties	1995	Vohor I
(2)		Maxime Carlot Korman (born 1941)	23 February 1996	30 September 1996 (Vote of no confidence)	220 days	Union of Moderate Parties	—	Korman II
(3)		Serge Vohor (1955–2024)	30 September 1996	30 March 1998	1 year, 181 days	Union of Moderate Parties	—	Vohor II
4		Donald Kalpokas (1943–2019)	30 March 1998	25 November 1999	1 year, 240 days	Vanua'aku Pati	1998	Kalpokas
5		Barak Sopé (born 1955)	25 November 1999	13 April 2001 (Resigned)	1 year, 139 days	Melanesian Progressive Party	—	Sopé
6		Edward Natapei (1954–2015)	13 April 2001	29 July 2004	3 years, 107 days	Vanua'aku Pati	2002	Natapei I–II
(3)		Serge Vohor (1955–2024)	29 July 2004	11 December 2004 (Vote of no confidence)	135 days	Union of Moderate Parties	2004	Vohor III
7		Ham Lini (born 1951)	11 December 2004	22 September 2008	3 years, 286 days	National United Party	—	Lini
(6)		Edward Natapei (1954–2015)	22 September 2008	27 November 2009 (Removed)	1 year, 66 days	Vanua'aku Pati	2008	Natapei III
–		Serge Vohor (1955–2024) Acting	27 November 2009	5 December 2009	8 days	Union of Moderate Parties	—	Natapei III
(6)		Edward Natapei (1954–2015)	5 December 2009 (Reinstated)	2 December 2010 (Vote of no confidence)	362 days	Vanua'aku Pati	—	Natapei III
8		Sato Kilman (born 1957)	2 December 2010	24 April 2011 (Vote of no confidence)	143 days	People's Progressive Party	—	Kilman I
(3)		Serge Vohor (1955–2024)	24 April 2011	13 May 2011 (Removed)	19 days	Union of Moderate Parties	—	Vohor IV
(8)		Sato Kilman (born 1957)	13 May 2011	16 June 2011 (Removed)	34 days	People's Progressive Party	—	Kilman II
–		Edward Natapei (1954–2015) Acting	16 June 2011	26 June 2011	10 days	Vanua'aku Pati	—	Interim
(8)		Sato Kilman (born 1957)	26 June 2011 (Reinstated)	23 March 2013 (Resigned)	1 year, 270 days	People's Progressive Party	2012	Kilman III–IV
9		Moana Carcasses Kalosil (born 1963)	23 March 2013	15 May 2014 (Vote of no confidence)	1 year, 53 days	Green Confederation	—	Carcasses
10		Joe Natuman (born 1952)	15 May 2014	11 June 2015 (Vote of no confidence)	1 year, 27 days	Vanua'aku Pati	—	Natuman
(8)		Sato Kilman (born 1957)	11 June 2015	11 February 2016	245 days	People's Progressive Party	—	Kilman V
11		Charlot Salwai (born 1963)	11 February 2016	20 April 2020	4 years, 69 days	Reunification Movement for Change	2016	Salwai
12		Bob Loughman (born 1961)	20 April 2020	4 November 2022	2 years, 198 days	Vanua'aku Pati	2020	Loughman
13		Ishmael Kalsakau (born 19??)	4 November 2022	4 September 2023	304 days	Union of Moderate Parties	2022	Kalsakau
(8)		Sato Kilman (born 1957)	4 September 2023	6 October 2023	32 days	People's Progressive Party	—	Kilman VI
(11)		Charlot Salwai (born 1963)	6 October 2023	11 February 2025	1 year, 128 days	Reunification Movement for Change	—	Salwai II
14		Jotham Napat (born 1972)	11 February 2025	Incumbent	183 days	Leaders Party of Vanuatu	2025	Napat

Timeline of Prime Ministers

Related Topics

• Politics of Vanuatu
• President of Vanuatu
• List of resident commissioners of the New Hebrides

See also

In Spanish: Primer ministro de Vanuatu para niños