Prime Minister of Vanuatu ousted in vote of no confidence

December 2, 2010

The of Vanuatu has lost his seat after a motion of. was ousted after the vote, passed at 30 votes to 15, took place in parliament. Natapei was out of the country at the time of the vote, attending a climate change summit in, Mexico.

The vote took place after several members of parliament became unhappy with Natapei's decisions. He had tried to suspend five members of parliament from the house. There was also concern about his support for, the military leader of Fiji. Natapei supported Bainimarama when he took over as leader of the, the trade group of the South Pacific.

This is not the first time that Natapei has lost his seat. In 2009, he lost his post when he failed to notify parliament that he left the country. He was on an official visit to Trinidad and Tobago at the time. Natapei took the post of prime minister in 2008. , the deputy prime minister until the motion was passed, has been sworn in as Natapei's replacement.