Ati George Sokomanu

Who is Ati George Sokomanu?

Ati George Sokomanu, MBE is a Ni-Vanuatu politician who served as the first president of the country. He was elected President by the Parliament when Vanuatu gained independence in 1980. He resigned in February 1984 while he was prosecuted for a tax violation, but was reelected and restored to the presidency weeks later by the Parliament for a 5-year term. In December 1988 he attempted to dismiss Prime Minister Walter Lini and install a new government headed by his own nephew Barak Sopé; the Supreme Court overturned the President's decision the next day. The Electoral College removed Sokomanu from office for "gross misconduct" in 1989.

An Anglophone, Sokomanu was a member of the Vanua'aku Pati during his presidency. He is the uncle of former Prime Minister Barak Sopé. Ati George Sokomanu received his secondary school education at Lelean Memorial School, in Fiji in the 1940s. He served as Secretary-General of the Pacific Community from 1993 to 1996.

He has been awarded the Vanuatu Order of Merit and an MBE.