| Post: | Prime Minister |
| Body: | Vanuatu |
| Native Name: | |
| Insignia: | Coat of arms of Vanuatu.svg |
| Insigniacaption: | Coat of arms of Vanuatu |
| Incumbent: | Charlot Salwai |
| Incumbentsince: | 6 October 2023 |
| Termlength: | for as long as the Prime Minister has the confidence of Parliament |
| Constituting Instrument: | Constitution of Vanuatu |
| Formation: | 30 July 1980 |
| First: | Walter Lini |
| Salary: | Vt 67,846 weekly (32,295 USD annually)[1] |
| Website: | https://ogcio.gov.vu/ |
The prime minister of Vanuatu is the head of government of the Republic of Vanuatu.
The office of prime minister was created under the Constitution of Vanuatu upon the country's independence in 1980, with independence campaigner Walter Lini becoming the first office-holder. The position is sometimes seen as a continuation of the older office of Chief Minister, which existed before Vanuatu obtained its independence. According to the Constitution, the prime minister is elected by the Parliament, of which s/he must be a member. The prime minister directly appoints or dismisses members of the Council of Ministers (cabinet ministers).
So far 13 men have served as Prime Minister of Vanuatu, some on multiple occasions.
The current prime minister is Charlot Salwai from Reunification Movement for Change, since 6 October 2023.
In November 2009, Prime Minister Edward Natapei was briefly declared by the Speaker to have lost his seat over a procedural technicality. The courts invalidated the ruling, and Natapei regained his seat, and thus the premiership.[2] [3]
Serge Vohor's fourth term in office, from April to May 2011, is included in the list below, although his election to the premiership was voided as unconstitutional by the Court of Appeal on 13 May, on the grounds that he had been elected only by a majority of members of Parliament (26 out of 52), not by an absolute majority. Ralph Regenvanu, who regained his position as Minister for Justice after the annulment of Vohor's premiership, stated: "Prime Minister Serge Vohor and his cabinet are illegal, null and void and were never the government of the country."[4]
Similarly, Sato Kilman's term is included although it was also voided, by a ruling from Chief Justice Vincent Lunabek on 16 June 2011, finding that Kilman's election in December 2010 had not been in conformity with the requirements for a secret parliamentary ballot set out in article 41 of the Constitution. Thus, following Edward Natapei's ousting in a valid motion of no confidence in December 2010, Vanuatu had no lawfully constituted government until Natapei was restored in June with instructions from the court to convene Parliament for the election of a prime minister.[5] [6] This was done on 26 June, resulting in Sato Kilman's election to the premiership by Parliament – his first legally recognised term as prime minister.[7]
| Portrait | Name | Term of office | Political party | Elected | Government | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||||
| 1 | Walter Lini | 30 July 1980 | 6 September 1991 | Vanua'aku Pati | 1983 1987 | Lini I–II–III | |||
| – | Donald Kalpokas | 6 September 1991 | 16 December 1991 | Vanua'aku Pati | – | Lini III | |||
| 2 | Maxime Carlot Korman | 16 December 1991 | 21 December 1995 | Union of Moderate Parties | 1991 | Korman I | |||
| 3 | Serge Vohor | 21 December 1995 | 23 February 1996 | Union of Moderate Parties | 1995 | Vohor I | |||
| (2) | Maxime Carlot Korman | 23 February 1996 | 30 September 1996 | Union of Moderate Parties | — | Korman II | |||
| (3) | Serge Vohor | 30 September 1996 | 30 March 1998 | Union of Moderate Parties | — | Vohor II | |||
| 4 | Donald Kalpokas | 30 March 1998 | 25 November 1999 | Vanua'aku Pati | 1998 | Kalpokas | |||
| 5 | Barak Sopé | 25 November 1999 | 13 April 2001 | Melanesian Progressive Party | — | Sopé | |||
| 6 | Edward Natapei | 13 April 2001 | 29 July 2004 | Vanua'aku Pati | 2002 | Natapei I–II | |||
| (3) | Serge Vohor | 29 July 2004 | 11 December 2004 | Union of Moderate Parties | 2004 | Vohor III | |||
| 7 | Ham Lini | 11 December 2004 | 22 September 2008 | National United Party | — | Lini | |||
| (6) | Edward Natapei | 22 September 2008 | 27 November 2009 | Vanua'aku Pati | 2008 | Natapei III | |||
| – | Serge Vohor | 27 November 2009 | 5 December 2009 | Union of Moderate Parties | — | Natapei III | |||
| (6) | Edward Natapei | 5 December 2009 | 2 December 2010 | Vanua'aku Pati | — | Natapei III | |||
| 8 | Sato Kilman | 2 December 2010 | 24 April 2011 | People's Progressive Party | — | Kilman I | |||
| (3) | Serge Vohor | 24 April 2011 | 13 May 2011 | Union of Moderate Parties | — | Vohor IV | |||
| (8) | Sato Kilman | 13 May 2011 | 16 June 2011 | People's Progressive Party | — | Kilman II | |||
| – | Edward Natapei | 16 June 2011 | 26 June 2011 | Vanua'aku Pati | — | Interim | |||
| (8) | Sato Kilman | 26 June 2011 | 23 March 2013 | People's Progressive Party | 2012 | Kilman III–IV | |||
| 9 | Moana Carcasses Kalosil | 23 March 2013 | 15 May 2014 | Green Confederation | — | Carcasses | |||
| 10 | Joe Natuman | 15 May 2014 | 11 June 2015 | Vanua'aku Pati | — | Natuman | |||
| (8) | Sato Kilman | 11 June 2015 | 11 February 2016 | People's Progressive Party | — | Kilman V | |||
| 11 | Charlot Salwai | 11 February 2016 | 20 April 2020 | Reunification Movement for Change | 2016 | Salwai | |||
| 12 | Bob Loughman | 20 April 2020 | 4 November 2022 | Vanua'aku Pati | 2020 | Loughman | |||
| 13 | Ishmael Kalsakau | 4 November 2022 | 4 September 2023 | Union of Moderate Parties | 2022 | Kalsakau | |||
| (8) | Sato Kilman | 4 September 2023 | 6 October 2023 | People's Progressive Party | — | Kilman VI | |||
| (11) | Charlot Salwai | 6 October 2023 | Incumbent | Reunification Movement for Change | — | Salwai II | |||