Vanuatu opposition may appeal court ruling

Transcript

Vanuatu's former opposition says it might appeal the Supreme Court's decision to reject its bid to overturn the dissolution of parliament, but is also preparing for next month's poll.

Former members of the opposition and Kenneth Natapei, who was elected but not sworn in, challenged last month's decision by president Baldwin Lonsdale to force a snap election.

But Justice Dudley Aru today ruled the dissolution was lawful and that the former MPs did not need to be consulted for President Lonsdale's decision.

The opposition leader, Joe Natuman, told our correspondent Hilaire Bule, that the opposition is now thinking about next month's election but may challenge the ruling.

JOE NATUMAN: Based on past precedents, previous dissolutions the court basically rejected our application to have the dissolution ruled invalid.

HILAIRE BULE: What is now your step? Are you going to appeal?

JN: We are going to have a meeting, if we agree we might appeal otherwise we will prepare to go to election next month and as I said earlier today we have the numbers in parliament. The majority of the house are going to stand again and we hope that we will come back in parliament with a larger number to form the next government. We will be standing as a bloc together with the National United Party, Vanua'aku Pati, and the People's Progressive Party working together with the Land and Justice Party and with that grouping we will surround the constituencies and we hope to come back with a larger number in the next parliament.

HB: How many candidates are you putting during this snap election?

JN: I don't know yet, we still have to finalise that, it should be around 30 or so candidates together with all our groups.

HB: If you are at a good site to win the snap election are you going to appeal against the decision of the court this morning?

JN: No, I don't think so. If we go into the election then that's it. We're not going to make any appeal because the court has only given 48-hours so there's no time to do that. We'll probably concentrate on the election process but we'll see when we go and have a meeting now we'll decide with the lawyers whether or not to launch an appeal within 48-hours.