Kalsakau, the deputy prime minister in the previous government, leads a 30-member coalition involving five parties.

Vanuatu was not due to go to the polls until 2024, but held a snap election after parliament was dissolved by the president in August, to avoid an attempt to oust then prime minister, Bob Loughman.

A group of government lawmakers had sided with the opposition in a bid to remove him.

After being sworn into office today, Kalsakau said he acknowledged his predecessor’s stewardship of the nation through the uncertainty of the Covid-19 crisis, supply disruptions caused by Ukraine’s war, and the decrease of national revenue caused when the EU cancelled its visa waiver agreement with Vanuatu.

The Pacific Island nation has generated significant revenue from selling citizenship to foreign nationals, but the EU partially suspend its visa waiver agreement in March, citing the risks posed by Vanuatu’s investor citizenship schemes or “golden passport” schemes.

Kalsakau said the economy had started to stabilise and cruise ships would soon return, boosting tourism.

Gloria King was elected as Vanuatu’s first female member of parliament since 2008.

The Pacific has become a focus of intensifying geopolitical contest between China and the US and its allies this year, with China seeking to increase its security and trade presence.