Vanuatu government takes spat with speaker to court

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Vanuatu’s Supreme Court will sit on Wednesday morning to hear an urgent application from the government, which wants to remove parliament’s speaker.

Prime Minister Bob Loughman and his government walked out of parliament on Tuesday after Gracia Shadrak refused to let them debate a motion to remove him.

Shadrak has fallen out with the government after agreeing to a motion to hear a vote of no confidence in Loughman.

That is due to be heard next Monday, but the speaker’s actions prompted his colleagues to try and remove him, and Shadrak said that motion will also be heard next Monday.

It filed an urgent court application on Tuesday night, claiming the speaker’s ruling breaches MPs’ constitutional rights to elect a new speaker.

SOURCE: RNZ PACIFIC/PACNEWS