Vanuatu Progressive Development Party (VPDP) President and Member of Parliament (MP) for the Epi constituency, Robert Murray Bohn, said it is too early to confirm his party affiliation.
MP Bohn conveyed this to the Vanuatu Daily Post when asked about his party affiliation during negotiations to form the government of the next legislature.
His statement about it being “too early” to confirm his party affiliation suggests that he is still considering his next steps and possibly weighing various political alignments as negotiations to form the next government take place.
The elected MP, who won the election for Epi constituency with 1,067 votes, recently wrote a letter to all elected MPs requesting the position of Prime Minister (PM).
The requirement outlined in the 8th amendment of the Constitution (17A), which mandates that any sole elected MP must affiliate with a political party within three months after the first sitting of Parliament, adds important context to Bohn’s current position.
This provision gives him and other sole MPs a grace period of three months to make their party affiliations official.
MP Bohn’s approach could also be a way to keep his options open during this window for political negotiations, as coalition-building may be key to his decision-making process.
Other sole elected MPs—whether from political parties or movements—also have three months to confirm their party affiliation to the Speaker of Parliament.
MP John Lum from the Nagriamel Movement has performed a custom ceremony to affiliate with the Graon mo Jastis Pati (GJP), and National United Party (NUP) MP Maty Phen Lage has also verbally confirmed his affiliation with the Leaders Party of Vanuatu (LPV), pending the formalisation of the agreement.
MP Bohn’s first election to Parliament was in November 2012. He faced an election petition regarding his eligibility to be elected under Section 23A of the Representation of the People Act [CAP 146]. In April 2013, Chief Justice Vincent Lunabek ruled on the validity of MP Bohn’s election.
This year’s election marks his second time entering Parliament.
Meanwhile, political party leaders who failed to secure a seat in the snap election still maintain control over their Members of Parliament (MPs) who were successful.
This is because, under the Political Parties Registration Act, even if the president or leader of a political party loses in an election, the MPs who contested under that party’s flag remain bound by the party’s organisational structure or party constitution.
The MPs may continue to follow the leadership because they owe their positions to the party and its constituency, which is seen as the collective identity of their political career.
Last year, many political parties held their congresses and endorsed internal party rules that allow the president or leader to retain control over MPs regardless of the election result.
The recent snap election official results show that there are sole elected MPs from Laverwo Party, Vanuatu Progressive Development Party, Namarakieana Movement, National United Party (NUP), Ngwasoanda Custom Movement, Nagriamel Movement, and Vanuatu Green Confederation (VGC).
For some of the movements and political parties mentioned above, the elected member is also their party president. This makes it easier to affiliate with another political party, as Article 17A of the Eighth Constitutional Amendment stipulates that the party president must countersign an MP’s affiliation after three months from the first sitting of Parliament. In cases where the MP is also the party president, they can sign for themselves.
The NUP and VGC are facing a situation where, despite their party presidents losing in the recent election, they still retain control over their respective parties’ affiliations. In these cases, even though the party presidents are no longer elected officials, they retain the authority to approve the affiliation of their sole elected MP, but only after consulting with the party’s executive.
This situation highlights an interesting dynamic within political parties, where leadership persists even after electoral defeat, especially if the party’s internal governance structure grants the president significant influence.
Consultation with the party executive ensures that the decision to affiliate with another political party or to remain aligned with the current one reflects a broader party consensus rather than solely the president’s personal decision.
Party presidents who lose in elections still retain control over their party’s internal affairs until the party’s next congress or national executive body convenes to decide on any changes.
This arrangement ensures continuity in party leadership and governance, but it can also create tensions, especially when party members or elected representatives feel that leadership should reflect electoral outcomes.
