Kalkot Mataskelekele
Encyclopedia
Kalkot Mataskelekele Mauliliu (born 1949) was President
of Vanuatu
from 16 August 2004 to 16 August 2009.
He was educated at Scotch College Melbourne the University of Papua New Guinea
. He is a lawyer
from the national capital, Port Vila
, and is the first Head of State of Vanuatu to have a university degree
. Mataskelekele had previously served as Vanuatu's first indigenous Solicitor General and a former Supreme Court
justice.
He was elected by the electoral college
, which consists of the Parliament
and regional Presidents, on 16 August 2004, and sworn in the same day.
He had previously been a candidate in the presidential election of April 2004, and was backed by the government of Edward Natapei
. However, after several inconclusive rounds in the electoral college, he was defeated by Alfred Maseng
. After the impeachment of Maseng and a parliamentary election, a new election was held on 12 August 2004, which was inconclusive and was continued on 16 August. Though Kalkot was widely expected to win, there were many other candidates, and he faced tough opposition from Willie David Saul and former Prime Minister Donald Kalpokas
. In the final round of voting, Kalkot defeated Saul by a vote of 49 to 7.
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of Vanuatu
Vanuatu
Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...
from 16 August 2004 to 16 August 2009.
He was educated at Scotch College Melbourne the University of Papua New Guinea
University of Papua New Guinea
The University of Papua New Guinea was established by ordinance of the Australian administration in 1965. This followed the Currie Commission which had enquired into higher education in Papua New Guinea...
. He is a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
from the national capital, Port Vila
Port Vila
Port Vila is the capital and largest city of Vanuatu. Situated on the south coast of the island of Efate, in Shefa Province, the city population at last was 29,356, an increase of 55% on the previous census result . This suggests a 2007 population of about 40,000 or around 65% of the province's...
, and is the first Head of State of Vanuatu to have a university degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
. Mataskelekele had previously served as Vanuatu's first indigenous Solicitor General and a former Supreme Court
Supreme court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of many legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, instance court, judgment court, high court, or apex court...
justice.
He was elected by the electoral college
Electoral college
An electoral college is a set of electors who are selected to elect a candidate to a particular office. Often these represent different organizations or entities, with each organization or entity represented by a particular number of electors or with votes weighted in a particular way...
, which consists of the Parliament
Parliament of Vanuatu
The Parliament is the unicameral legislative body of the Republic of Vanuatu.It was established by chapter 4 of the 1980 Constitution, upon Vanuatu's independence from France and the United Kingdom....
and regional Presidents, on 16 August 2004, and sworn in the same day.
He had previously been a candidate in the presidential election of April 2004, and was backed by the government of Edward Natapei
Edward Natapei
Edward Nipake Natapei Tuta Fanua`araki is a politician from Vanuatu. He was elected Prime Minister of Vanuatu on two separate terms, and was previously the Minister of Foreign Affairs briefly in 1991, the acting President of Vanuatu from 2 March 1999 to 24 March 1999 , and Deputy Prime Minister...
. However, after several inconclusive rounds in the electoral college, he was defeated by Alfred Maseng
Alfred Maseng
Alfred Maseng Nalo was a politician from Vanuatu. He served as foreign minister of Vanuatu from 1995 until 1996. He was also the president of Vanuatu for two brief periods lasting about a month each, during 1994 and 2004....
. After the impeachment of Maseng and a parliamentary election, a new election was held on 12 August 2004, which was inconclusive and was continued on 16 August. Though Kalkot was widely expected to win, there were many other candidates, and he faced tough opposition from Willie David Saul and former Prime Minister Donald Kalpokas
Donald Kalpokas
Donald Masike'Vanua Kalpokas is a ni-Vanuatu politician and diplomat who served as prime minister of Vanuatu twice.Kalpokas was born on Efate island. Along with Walter Lini he founded the Vanua'aku Pati a political party which supported political independence for Vanuatu, socialist policies, and...
. In the final round of voting, Kalkot defeated Saul by a vote of 49 to 7.
External links
- President Mataskelekele's address to the 63rd session of the United Nations General Assembly, 26 September 2008
- Interview of Kalkot Mataskelekele by China Central TelevisionChina Central TelevisionChina Central Television or Chinese Central Television, commonly abbreviated as CCTV, is the major state television broadcaster in mainland China. CCTV has a network of 19 channels broadcasting different programmes and is accessible to more than one billion viewers...
, 10 August 2008