Introduction

Background

Austronesian peoples originating from the Solomon Islands began to inhabit Vanuatu approximately in 2000 B.C. By around 1000, the islands saw the emergence of localized chieftain systems. In approximately 1600, Melanesian Chief ROI MATA succeeded in uniting certain islands of what is now Vanuatu under his authority. The year 1606 marked the arrival of a Portuguese explorer, who became the first European to encounter Vanuatu's Banks Islands and Espiritu Santo, establishing a brief settlement on the latter. The subsequent European explorers reached the islands in the 1760s, and during the 1800s, the islands—then referred to as the New Hebrides—were a common stop for whalers. The European demand for the islands’ sandalwood led to conflicts with the local populace. In the 1860s, European planters from Australia, Fiji, New Caledonia, and Samoa sought labor, resulting in the abduction of nearly half of the islands' adult male population to serve as indentured laborers.

As interests from France and the UK in the islands expanded and began to overlap, both nations agreed in 1878 to designate the New Hebrides as a neutral territory and established a joint naval commission in 1887. In 1906, the two nations formed a UK-France condominium to jointly govern the islands, which featured distinct legal systems, police forces, currencies, and frameworks for education and health. However, this condominium arrangement proved to be ineffective, and the UK took advantage of France’s initial setbacks in World War II to exert more influence over the islands. During the conflict, the United States stationed as many as 50,000 troops in Vanuatu. Following their withdrawal in 1945, the US sold off their equipment, contributing to the emergence of political and religious movements known as "cargo cults," including the John Frum movement.

Post-World War II, the UK-France condominium was reinstated. The UK showed interest in steering the condominium towards independence during the 1960s, but France was reluctant. Political factions advocating for independence began to take shape, primarily divided along linguistic lines. Eventually, France acquiesced, and elections were conducted in 1974, leading to the establishment of independence for the newly named Vanuatu in 1980 under the leadership of English-speaking Prime Minister Walter LINI. Subsequently, the Nagriamel Movement, supported by French-speaking landowners, proclaimed the island of Espiritu Santo as independent from Vanuatu; however, this short-lived state was disbanded after just 12 weeks. While linguistic divisions have diminished over time, the presence of highly fractious political parties has resulted in unstable coalition governments that rely on support from both Anglophone and Francophone parties. Since 2008, prime ministers have been removed more than a dozen times due to no-confidence votes or temporary procedural dilemmas.