21 Dec 2010

Vanuatu Speaker pulls plug on extra-ordinary meeting of parliament

8:41 am on 21 December 2010

The speaker of the Vanuatu parliament has revoked the decision of the deputy speaker to call an extra-ordinary session of parliament to debate a motion of no confidence in the Prime Minister.

The Speaker Maxime Carlot Korman said the decision of his deputy, Peter Vuta, undermined his power while he was out of the country, in Australia.

The speaker says Mr Vuta did not personally inform him he'd reversed his ruling that the call for a debate on the motion of no confidence in Prime Minister Sato Kilman was out of order.

Mr Carlot Korman maintains the motions were not in order because parliament is in recess, and two MPs had withdrawn their signatures.

The opposition led by former prime minister Edward Natapei says it anticipated the speaker would revoke the decision and is preparing to file an urgent petition to let the court decide whether parliament should meet this Friday.