Vanuatu election

Our correspondent in Vanuatu reported three petitions were filed last week at the Supreme Court.

The counsel for the complainants, Daniel Yawah, said the election petitions covered the outer-island constituencies in Tafea including Aniwa, Futuna and Aneitym, Malo/Aore and Malekula.

The petitions are against three government backbenchers and allege breaches of electoral laws which prohibit donations of goods, materials and cash.

Currently the elected government of Prime Minister Bob Loughman has the support of 30 MPs with 22 in opposition.

The electoral college which comprises 52 Members of Parliament and 6 provincial chairs was unable to elect a candidate in the second round of voting this morning.

Chief Justice Vincent Lunabek ordered that voting resume at 4pm (local time) today.

Of the 16 candidates, Tallis Obed Moses, a long-serving pastor of the Presbyterian Church, dominated the second vote, garnering 27 of the 52 votes.

Former prime minister, Maxime Carlot Korman, who had led after Monday's first vote, was second this morning with 14.