By Benjamin David Baker
While the president was out of the country, the speaker of parliament pardoned himself after being convicted on corruption charges.
The small Pacific Island state of Vanuatu, with a population of just 250,000, rarely makes the front pages of international media. The 80 islands which make up the country are primarily known for their stunning natural beauty, the presence of so-called “cargo cults” and, more tragically, the devastation wrought by cyclone Pam earlier this year.However, according to Vanuatu’s English daily newspaper, the Vanuatu Daily Post, a bizarre political drama has been unfolding in Port-Vila during the last couple of days.
On Friday October 9th, 14 government ministers and lawmakers were found guilty on charges of corruption by the country’s Supreme Court. This number represents almost one-third of Vanuatu’s parliament, who were all facing prison sentences of up to 10 years. Furthermore, among the convicted were Parliament Speaker Marcellino Pipite and Deputy Prime Minister Moana Carcasses Kalosil. According to the Vanuatu Daily News Digest, the convicted were due to be sentenced on October 22.
According to Vanuatu’s constitution, the speaker of parliament assumes all presidential powers and duties while the president is abroad, including the ability to pardon anyone convicted of a crime. Vanuatu President Baldwin Lonsdale was on a state visit to neighboring Samoa until yesterday. In a display of political brazenness, if not subtlety, that Frank Underwood would be proud of, Pipite promptly pardoned himself and all of the 13 other convicted lawmakers in the last hour of before the president’s return. This was done, according to Pipite, in order to “preserve the peace and unity of Vanuatu,” pointing to recent political unrest in nearby Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands.
Read the full story at The Diplomat