Vanuatu's acting Principal Electoral Officer, Joe Johnson Iati says an election challenge from a candidate will not delay the country's snap elections next week.
“Regardless of the case, the election is set for 22 January. There will be no delay,even for the Tafea Constituency,” Iati informed the Daily Post.
The case is an urgent constitutional application filed by Vanuatu's former Charge d’Affaire in China, Willie Toama. His name was not included in the list of eligible candidates released by the Electoral Office.
Lawyers of both parties met with the judge for conference Thursday but no dates have been set for the court to issue a decision.
Toama who applied to contest in the Tanna constituency is claiming that he was not informed by the Electoral Office before his name was removed.
In doing so, he claimed his constitutional right to vote and contest the election was breached by the Electoral Office.
Toama said proper procedures were not followed when his name was removed from the list.
According to the Acting Principal Electoral Officer, Toama’s case is the only one handled by the Electoral Office in court after Charles Lini’s name was cleared.
Lini is the son of Vanuatu's first Prime Minister after independence, the late Father Walter Lini. His name was not gazetted for the 2016 General Snap Election.
Iati confirmed that Lini’s name was cleared on Monday night after the Electoral Commission met to review his application and declared him an eligible candidate.
The new addition means there are now a total of 35 candidates contesting the six seats in the Port Vila Constituency and a total of 263 candidates hoping for the 52 seats in Parliament.
Iati said the Solomon Islands Patrol Boat is on its way to Vanuatu to assist with the distribution of ballot boxes to the islands