Vanuatu Supreme Court judge, Justice Oliver Saksak, has granted a stay on the vacation of 19 seats in the country’s parliament.
On Tuesday the Speaker of Parliament, Gracia Shadrack, declared the seats of the Prime Minister Bob Loughman and 18 of his MPs vacant because they had been absent from parliament on three consecutive occasions.
The MPs were absent on the third occasion to avoid a vote of no confidence motion, but they had also been striving through the past week to remove Mr Shadrack, after he appeared to side with the oppostion.
Shadrack encouraged the MPs to seek a court ruling on his actions and now Justice Saksak has issued a stay on the actions of the speaker, with a court hearing to be heard from 10am Thursday.
Meanwhile the speaker has adjourned parliament until Friday when debate on his actions, and the motions that are in play, can begin.
Meanwhile, RNZ Pacific correspondent in Vanuatu said the shutout of the government MPs is all people were talking about in the kava bars.
He said everyone in Vanuatu knows that under normal practice, it’s the opposition that boycotts parliamentary sessions.
SOURCE: RNZ PACIFIC/PACNEWS
