Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Vanuatu’s caretaker PM left off election candidate list

Posted at 22:04 on 11 October, 2012 UTC

Vanuatu’s caretaker Prime Minister Sato Kilman has been left off the list of candidates for the general election at the end of the month.

The Electoral Commission announced the names of 274 candidates on Radio Vanuatu Thursday afternoon.

The Commission says most of the candidates who were left off the list have debts to settle within 72 hours before their names can be added, including Mr Kilman who owes the government more than 140,000 US dollars.

The former speaker of parliament, Dunstun Hilton and a former Vanuatu ambassador in China, Willie Jimmy have also been left off the list.

At the last election in 2008 a total of 345 candidates contested the general election.