Tallis Obed Moses

President Moses and his wife the First Lady Estella Moses received their vaccination at the Convention Centre in Port Vila on Wednesday.

More than 8,000 people have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine so far.

The country has received 44,000 doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from COVAX Facility and Sinopharm vaccine from China.

The president, who is also a Presbyterian Church pastor, made the statement to a packed church service in Port Vila.

He said the country's motto of 'Long God Yumi Stanap' simply meant that Vanuatu is a Christian nation.

He didn't elaborate his comment but our correspondent said it falls into line with the Vanuatu Christian Council's position that the freedom of worship clause in the constitution should be revisited to not allow other faiths to develop in Vanuatu.

Mr Moses, who had been a Presbyterian pastor, was sworn in Thursday afternoon by Chief Justice Vincent Lunabek as Vanuatu's ninth president.

He was one of 16 people put forward for the role, and emerged Thursday morning with the two-thirds support needed to become president.

RNZI reports his final tally was 39, with Maxim Carlot Korman in second place with 17.

The media director of the Vanuatu Daily Post Dan McGarry was at parliament Thursday morning for the vote.

He said Mr Moses was seen as one to uphold the last president's legacy.

The new Head of State who is 63 years old is from the island of Ambrym in the Malampa Province.

He is a pastor at the Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu based in Port Vila.

Mr Moses holds a Diploma in Divinity and Mission as well as a Diploma of Theology from Australia.

The president is the first to be elected from the Malampa Province.

There was applause in Parliament Chambers this morning, as the results of voting were announced.