Vanuatu parliament appoints new speaker
22/06/2009
Vanuatu's former prime minister, Maxime Carlot Korman, has been elected as the new speaker.
The election of a new speaker has followed a turbulent time in the country's government after the leading party successfully defeated a motion of no-confidence over ongoing concerns about missing subsidy funds.
The government won the motion with 28 votes to 18 out of a possible 48 votes. A number of MPs opted to abstain and four were ordered not to vote by the Supreme Court following investigations into allegations by the speaker that trade minister James Bule misused $400,000 in copra subsidies last year.
A vote of no-confidence was then made against George Wells which was successful in having him removed from the position.
Radio New Zealand reports that Mr Kormna already has experience as the speaker after being appointed to the role back in 1980.
Correspondent Len Garae added: "He knows the procedures like the back of his hand." 
