'Coalition united': No-confidence motion against Vanuatu PM Napat withdrawn before vote

A motion of no confidence in Prime Minister Jotham Napat has been withdrawn before it could go to a vote in Vanuatu's parliament.

On Sunday, Napat, who leads a coalition government of five parties, said that he felt confident he would see the motion off after it was lodged at the beginning of last week by opposition MPs.

The reasons listed in the motion included the unfair allocation of ministerial portfolios and alleged misuse of government investment funds.

"Despite the many confusing reports circulating ahead of [Monday's] vote, the Government wishes to reassure the people of Vanuatu that the five coalition partners in Government are united and ready to defeat the motion," the Vanuatu Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

"We have assessed the motion. The Opposition has no valid grounds."

In mid-October, Napat shut down claims that he could be facing a leadership challenge when parliament resumed this week.

Napat said the government acknowledged that there were areas of governance that needed strengthening and that it had been saddled with issues left unattended for many years.

But he said that the no-confidence motion, in large part, had "no substance."

Napat was elected as Vanuatu's prime minister in February 2025 - the country's fifth in as many years.

He also defeated a no-confidence vote less than 12 months into the top job.