Serge Vohor

Rialuth Serge Vohor (born 1955) is a politician from Vanuatu. He hails from the largest island of Vanuatu, Espiritu Santo, from Port Olry.

He is a member of the Union of Moderate Parties, a conservative, Francophone political party. When his party came to power in 1991, Vohor became foreign minister of Vanuatu for the first of three times, until 1993. Vohor has been Prime Minister three times, from December 1995 to February 1996, from September 1996 to March 1998, and from July 28 2004, to December 11 2004.

After the 1998 parliamentary elections the Union of Moderate Parties could not form a coalition government, but Vohor still served as a prominent member of coalition governments led by other parties much of the time, serving as foreign minister again from 1999 until 2001. His party did not regain power in the 2002 parliamentary elections, but Vohor served as foreign minister for a third time from 2002 until 2003.

In the parliamentary elections of 2004, the Union of Moderate Parties lost several seats. It now holds 8 of the 52 seats in Parliament. However, Vohor managed to form a coalition including independents and members of other parties to be elected Prime Minister. Vohor was elected Prime Minister by the Parliament with 28 votes, with his opponent, Ham Lini receiving 24. The following month, Vohor formed a national unity government with Lini as deputy prime minister.

While out of the country, Vohor was charged with contempt for comments he had made in parliament about Chief Justice Vincent Lunabek, but in September 2004 the Supreme Court threw out the charges on the grounds that Vohor had not been given the proper chance to defend himself in court, and that, furthermore, his comments were protected by parliamentary privilege. [ [http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=12341 "Vanuatu court quashes charges against Prime Minister"] , Radio New Zealand International, September 27, 2004.]

Vohor gained international attention when, on November 3 2004, while on a secret visit to Taipei, he established diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan) without approval from the Council of Ministers. The Council of Ministers voted to void the move and asserted Vanuatu's continued recognition of the People's Republic of China under its terms of the One-China policy. For weeks, both the ROC and PRC had diplomatic missions in Vanuatu with disagreement in the government over which government to recognize. On December 1, Vohor punched (or pushed) the shoulder of the new ambassador from Beijing, Bao Shusheng, after being approached to explain why the flag of the Republic of China was still flying over a hotel in Port Vila. After 16 members of parliament who had supported Vohor joined the opposition, depriving him of a majority and leaving him with 15 out of 52 seats, the opposition tried to hold a no-confidence vote against Vohor. [ [http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-12/06/content_397673.htm "Vanuatu PM assaults Chinese ambassador"] , chinadaily.cn, December 6, 2004.] [http://www.news.vu/en/news/diplomacy/041208-Vanuatu-court-rules-in-favor-of-Parliament.shtml "Vanuatu court rules in favor of Parliament; Vohor appeals"] , Taiwan News (news.vu), December 8, 2004.] Vohor attempted to prevent the vote in court, claiming that a new constitutional amendment barred no-confidence votes against a prime minister during his first year in office, but the Supreme Court ruled against him on December 7, saying that the vote could go ahead because the new amendment had not yet been approved by referendum. Vohor then took the matter to the Court of Appeal, but it also ruled against him; he was defeated in the no-confidence vote and replaced by Ham Lini. [ [http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=13726 "Vanuatu tosses out the Vohor Government"] , Radio New Zealand International, December 10, 2004.]

Since then Vohor has been the effective leader of the opposition. In March 2006 Vohor led an attempt to depose Lini through a no confidence vote, focusing on accusing Lini of weakness. However, the vote was defeated as not enough Parliament members who had supported the government defected.

On July 27 2007, Vohor, who was serving as Minister of Public Utilities, allegedly assaulted an official from the Finance Ministry due to his pay being delayed. In a cabinet reshuffle a few days later, he was one of several ministers dismissed from the government. [ [http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s1991647.htm "Vanuatu reshuffles cabinet again"] , ABC Radio Australia, July 30, 2007.] Vohor said that one reason the UMP was being excluded from the government was because of its strength, and said that the party would try to return to the government. [ [http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=34123 "Vanuatu UMP leader determined to get back into government"] , Radio New Zealand International, August 2, 2007.]

References