Preparations are underway for a hearing in the Supreme Court of Vanuatu following an application against the dissolution of Vanuatu’s parliament.
It was submitted by 27 former opposition MPs who were signatories to a motion of no confidence in caretaker prime minister Bob Loughman last month.
Assistant deputy private secretary to Vanuatu’s head of state, lawyer Wilson Thomas will be in court today for the proceedings.
“This is where the opposition’s lawyer will present the case and after the opposition’s lawyer there will be the attorney general who is representing the President of Vanuatu and the government of Vanuatu, and after that the judge will give a decision immediately or he will adjourn it until Monday or Tuesday next week,” he said.
RNZ Pacfic’s Vanuatu correspondent Hilaire Bule said the 27 former opposition MPs aim to prove there was no proper process involved in the dissolution of parliament.
If they win he said it would mean parliament will resume and the motion of no confidence in the Prime Minister will be debated.
“But if the government wins the case then we will have a snap election definitely but if the opposition wins it is a different story,” Bule said
He said the parliament was dissolved on 18 August.
Under the constitution of Vanuatu, a snap election must take place between 30 and 60 days following the dissolution of parliament.
If the signatories of the motion of no confidence win it means parliament will resume and the motion of no confidence will be debated.
SOURCE: RNZ PACIFIC/PACNEWS
