Joshua Kalsakau

Joshua Kalsakau is a Vanuatuan politician. In 2005 Kalsakau, then the Minister for Ni-Vanuatu Business and an MP from Efate representing the National Community Association Party, joined the Vanuatu Labour Party.^[1] Kalsakau became the president of the VLP.^[2]

Joshua Kalsakau was reelected to his seat in Parliament, as MP for Efate, in the 2008 parliamentary election.^[3][3][4] After the elections, Kalsakau was named as the new Minister of Justice in the cabinet of Edward Natapei,^[5] though he was subsequently dismissed during a Cabinet reshuffle. He returned to government in April 2011, when Prime Minister Sato Kilman (who had ousted Natapei in a vote of no confidence in December 2010) was in turn ousted in a vote of no confidence, and succeeded by Serge Vohor. Vohor gave the Labour Party two portfolios in his Cabinet, and Kalsakau was appointed Deputy Prime Minister.^[6] Three weeks later, however, Vohor's election and premiership were voided by the Court of Appeal, and Kalsakau lost his position in government.^[7] On 16 June, Kilman's election and premiership were themselves voided by the Supreme Court, on constitutional grounds, and previous Prime Minister Edward Natapei became caretaker Prime Minister until a new leader could be elected. Kalsakau was appointed caretaker Minister of Infrastructure and Public Utilities.^[8]

In the 2012 general election, Kalsakau narrowly lost his seat, by a margin of just twelve votes (out of more than 15,000), leaving Labour without representation in Parliament.^[9]

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