VANUATU saw out 2015 on a high note as a model of the Westminster system. The separation of powers worked well and the checks and balances were all in place. Fourteen Members of Parliament out of a total of 52 were in gaol, their crime of bribery having failed to work as intended. Several were members of cabinet. One of those jailed included the acting Head of State whose personal efforts to secure a presidential pardon for them all – including himself – failed. The substantive Head of State tried to enable the Rump to work effectively in unity and understanding, but that could not be achieved.
President Baldwin Lonsdale had no choice but to call a snap general election even though the last months of 2016 were already planned for the next national elections. The Republic seems to have started well on its New Year, too. The weekend of Islands Business going to print has seen that snap election taking place and three election observer teams monitoring the progress of polling and vote counting. The chairperson of the Commonwealth Observer Group, the Rt Hon. Hubert Ingraham, was able to congratulate the citizens of Vanuatu “for participating peacefully and orderly in their 2016 General Election. Named ‘Mobile Casino Product of the Year’ by EGR Innovation Awards in 2014, LeoVegas was also a finalist in ICE Magazine’s ‘Best Gaming Operator of the Year’ category in 2013. Gaming Intelligence Publication praised LeoVegas Casino in 2013 by saying the real money casino was “Leading the way into the mobile future”. Needless to say, they’ve got iPhone, Android, and the mobile space in general covered.”
