The Pacific nation of Vanuatu will go to the polls next month after the Parliament was dissolved so that Prime Minister Bob Loughman could avoid a no-confidence vote.
Loughman has faced pressure for months after attempting to change the Constitution to extend his government’s term limit, the move also comes amid an ongoing influence push by Beijing in the region.
On Aug. 18, Vanuatu President Nikenike Vurobaravu signed the notice to dissolve Parliament—the next elections were due in 2024. Opposition MPs challenged the move in the country’s Supreme Court, saying the advice received by the president from the Council of Ministers was “invalid and unconstitutional.”…