Edward Nipake Natapei Tuta Fanua`araki (17 July 1954 – 28 July 2015) was a Vanuatuan politician. He was the prime minister of Vanuatu on two occasions, and was previously the minister of Foreign Affairs briefly in 1991, the acting president of Vanuatu from 2 March 1999 to 24 March 1999 (during a time in which he was the speaker of Parliament) and the deputy prime minister. He was the president of the Vanua'aku Pati, a socialist, Anglophone political party.

Politics

Natapei was first elected to Parliament in 1983. In 1996, he was elected as speaker of Parliament, and in 1999 he was elected as President of Vanua'aku Pati. In a parliamentary vote on 25 November 1999, Natapei was a candidate for the position of prime minister, but was defeated by Barak Sopé, receiving 24 votes against 28 for Sope. When Sopé lost a vote of no confidence, Natapei became Prime Minister on 13 April 2001, receiving 27 votes in parliament, with one vote against him. He retained the position after the May 2002 election. Even though his party performed poorly in the July 2004 election, he was re-elected as a Member of Parliament for the Port Vila Constituency with the highest number of votes. He supported Ham Lini for the post of prime minister, but Lini was defeated; however, Serge Vohor was ousted in a motion of no confidence and Ham Lini was elected prime minister. Being Vanua'aku Party President entitled Natapei to the post of Speaker of the House, which he declined and referred to Sam Dan Avock, who was a Party Executive Member.

Natapei became minister for Infrastructure and Public Utilities in the Lini-led government in July 2005. receiving 124 votes against 67 for Sela Molisa.

Second term as Prime Minister (2008–2011)

Natapei was elected Prime Minister on 22 September 2008, by the Parliament of Vanuatu after three weeks of negotiations following the country's September 2nd general election. Natapei received 27 of the 52 votes in Parliament to become prime minister for a second time and a second non-consecutive term.

Natapei pledged to continue the policies and reforms of the outgoing Lini government. However, the Speaker of the Parliament George Wells rejected Korman's motion against Natapei on a technicality saying that one of the two MPs in question had not withdrawn their support for Natapei's government. Nevertheless, another motion of no confidence was attempted on 25 November 2008; Natapei survived the vote by a narrow margin of 26 to 24. Three Vanua'aku Pati MPs signed the motion of no confidence, and after they refused to withdraw their signatures, Natapei suspended them from the party immediately prior to the vote.

In November 2009 Prime Minister Natapei, facing another vote of no confidence, organized a second major cabinet reshuffle. Natapei removed half of his cabinet members and cut ties with two political parties, the National United Party and the Vanuatu Republican Party, when it was revealed that the parties and their members were planning to launch a no confidence motion against his government. Serge Vohor became the acting prime minister. On December 5, however, Chief Justice Vincent Lunabek ruled that "the Speaker’s decision to unseat the PM on 27 November 2009 was ‘unconstitutional and of no legal effect’". On December 10, Parliament formally confirmed their confidence in Natapei, who thus remained Prime Minister.

As of June 2010 Natapei retained the prime ministership, with the support of 34 MPs (against 18 for the Opposition).

On December 2, 2010 Natapei was ousted by a vote of no confidence. He was succeeded by Sato Kilman.

On June 16, 2011 however, Chief Justice Vincent Lunabek ruled in a case put forward by Natapei, contesting the constitutionality of Kilman's election. Lunabek ruled that Kilman's election to office had indeed been unconstitutional, as "[t]he speaker of Parliament Maxime Carlot Korman [had] appointed Mr Kilman prime minister without following article 41 of the constitution which required he be elected by secret ballot". Kilman's premiership was annulled, and Natapei was restored as interim prime minister, instructed to convene Parliament for the election of a new prime minister. Natapei immediately indicated that he himself would not be a candidate for the position, and that he would support Serge Vohor's candidacy.

During his interim premiership, Natapei cancelled Vanuatu's diplomatic recognition of Abkhazia, issued by Kilman the previous month.

On June 26, Parliament elected Sato Kilman to the premiership, with 29 votes to Serge Vohor's 23, thus ending Natapei's interim duties.

First cabinet

Natapei named his government's cabinet line-up on 22 September 2008, the day of his election as prime minister. His cabinet included members of his own Vanua'aku Pati (VP) as well as the National United Party (VNUP). As Minister for Foreign Affairs, he applied Carcasses' policy in beginning a clean-up of the sale of diplomatic passports by previous governments. Within his first few days in office, he revoked the passports of "about ten" diplomats who are understood to have bought them. In a review praised by Transparency International, he indicated that more than two thirds of the country's diplomats could lose their position, as their appointment had not followed proper procedures.

Natapei lost office when the Carcasses government was brought down by a motion of no confidence on 15 May 2014.

Natapei died on 28 July 2015 at the age of 61 following a long illness.

References

  • Government of Vanuatu – official website
  • Pacific Magazine: Vanuatu promises new backing for West Papuans
  • Prime Minister Natapei addresses the United Nations General Assembly, September 27, 2010

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