29 Mar 2019

Vanuatu govt withdraws cabinet expansion plan

2:11 pm on 29 March 2019

Vanuatu's government has withdrawn a controversial proposal to increase the size of the cabinet.

Prime Minister of Vanuatu Charlot Salwai

Prime Minister of Vanuatu Charlot Salwai Photo: Supplied

Prime Minister Charlot Salwai's proposal to increase the number of Ministries from 13 to 17 was to be debated today in a special sitting of parliament.

The proposal, which required a constitutional amendment, faced opposition among some political parties, and sparked a peaceful protest outside parliament this morning.

With the opposition leader, Ishmael Kalsakau, signalling a legal challenge to the move, the government has now dropped the plan.

However, parliament has voted to amend the constitution to legalise the positions of Parliamentary Secretaries which have existed since 2012.

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