Vohor and Carlot reconcile

Late May, Vanuatu Prime Minister Serge Vohor car ried out a major reshuffle in his government, getting rid of Donald Kalpokas and his Vanuaaku Pati (VP) and welcoming back old foes Barak Sope and Maxime Carlot to form a new majority and revamped cabinet.

In a surprise move, Vohor dumped coali tion partner and deputy Kalpokas, whose Vanuaaku Pati (VP) had just gained the sup port of five more MPs, totalling 20 in the 50-seat house.

The move marked Vohor and Carlot’s formal reconciliation after an 18-month bat tle for prime ministership.

“There’s no more ‘him and T, there’s only UMP. The war hatchet is buried,”

Vohor and Carlot both said. Vohor, who came to power nine months ago after a vote of no-confidence in then Prime Minister

Carlot, had formed a first cabinet in October with Sope, only to sack him two weeks later and form a new government with VP leader Kalpokas, whom he

appointed deputy prime minister and minis

ter for education.

Kalpokas is now again leader of a one party opposition, a position he has held many times.

The new coalition consists of Vohor’s Union of Moderate Parties (UMP), which reunited with Carlot’s Natora faction and holds 21 seats, independent father Walter Lini’s NUP (three seats), and Sope’s MPP (five seats). It holds a 29-member majority in the house.

In spite of Vohor’s offer, Carlot declined the foreign portfolio for the sake of UMP’s reunion and a balanced representation in the cabinet of MPs from all regions of Vanuatu.

Sope was appointed deputy prime minister

and minister for commerce and trade. ■