Kalkot Mataskelekele

Who is Kalkot Mataskelekele?

Kalkot Mataskelekele Mauliliu 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.