Photo: AFP/Toshifumi Kitamura

Vanuatu was in a state of mourning on Saturday after its revered president, Baldwin Lonsdale, died unexpectedly. He was 67.

He was rushed to Vila Central Hospital late on Friday night after a suspected heart attack, but died just after midnight.

"Vanuatu has lost one of its greatest leaders," said Sela Molisa, a former long-time parliamentarian who described the late president as a humble, gentle man. "Vanuatu was lucky to have had him."

Flags around the country were lowered to half mast, and hundreds of family, friends and members of the public gathered outside the hospital to stand vigil on Saturday.

The Council of Ministers met to discuss mourning plans, which are likely to include a state funeral, and the late president's body was taken to lie at State House on Saturday night.

Baldwin Jacobson Lonsdale was born on Mota Lava, in the northern Banks islands, in 1950. He grew up to become a senior civil servant and the secretary general of the Torba provincial government before becoming an Anglican priest.

In September 2014, Father Lonsdale was elected to the presidency by an electoral college in the eighth round of voting, when he finally achieved a two thirds majority of MPs and provincial chairs.

Father Lonsdale promised to uphold the constitution and asked the people of Vanuatu to stand united: "I know that there is a big responsibility in the office of the head of state," he said on his appointment.

"But my first and foremost priority is to make sure that the constitution of the nation is upheld at all times and that peace, unity, justice and harmony prevail at all times," he said.

That commitment would come to be tested in a turbulent year in 2015, when the largely ceremonial role would become a pillar of stability through a destructive cyclone and a political crisis.

In March 2015, the country was devastated by Cyclone Pam, a category five storm that swept its way down the archipelago, leaving thousands homeless and much of the country's crops and infrastructure destroyed.

At the time, Father Lonsdale was in Japan at a conference on disaster risk reduction, where he made a tearful appeal for international assistance. "As a nation, as the head of my nation, my heart is for the people," he said in an address that was beamed around the world. "Everyone has that same feeling, because we don't know what happened to our family.

"There's a breakdown of communications that we cannot reach our families and we do not know whether our families are safe or not," he said.

Father Lonsdale described the cyclone as a monster that had wiped out the country's developments, and blamed climate change for contributing to the disaster.

Then, six months later, with the country still rebuilding from the cyclone, another crisis descended upon Port Vila.

In October 2015, 15 MPs -- half the government of Prime Minster Sato Kilman -- was convicted of corruption, making them ineligible for office.

But while Father Lonsdale was overseas, one of the convicted MPs, then-speaker of parliament Marcellino Pipite, pardoned himself and 13 of this colleagues in his capacity as acting president.

A furious Father Lonsdale returned to Vanuatu and rescinded the pardons, before addressing the nation to express his "shame and sorrow" at Pipite's actions.

"I will clean this dirt from my backyard," a visibly shaken president swore in his televised address. "We as a nation have to stop these crooked ways."

Following a failed appeal against the pardons, Father Lonsdale moved to dissolve parliament and called snap elections for January 2016, which saw Mr Kilman's government ousted and a new government formed that promised widespread reforms.

At the opening of the new parliament, Father Lonsdale said "the corruption we have seen is an abuse of public trust for private gain," describing the new legislature as a "new chart for Vanuatu's destiny."

"He was firm and wouldn't be swayed," said Mr Molisa, who said Father Lonsdale's unwavering commitment to the rule of law enshrined him as one of the country's greatest leaders. "History will remember him for this."

"I'm sure the government and every other - especially at the political level - people would recognise that Vanuatu has lost a very outstanding leader," he said.

That was a sentiment shared across Vanuatu. As the news director of the Vanuatu Daily Post, Dan McGarry, said in a post on Facebook: "By shouldering the burden of office, even when others had abused it so, he reasserted the integrity of an office that the Constitutions says embodies 'the unity of the nation'."

"And now, we're all united in mourning. His gift to the nation was immense, and will not be forgotten."

The Prime Minister, Charlot Salwai, was due to address the nation on Saturday evening to announce the nation's plans for a period of mourning. However, government officials said these would likely include a state funeral before the burial of the president's body on Mota Lava.

Under the constitution, the speaker of parliament, Esmon Saimon, is currently the acting president, and a new head of state will need to be elected by another electoral college within three weeks.</s>Image copyright AFP Image caption Baldwin Lonsdale served Vanuatu "with dignity and humility", Australia said

The president of Vanuatu, Baldwin Lonsdale, has died after a heart attack at the age of 67.

Mr Lonsdale, an Anglican priest, had been leader of the Pacific archipelago since September 2014.

The Vanuatu Daily Post said he died suddenly in the capital Port Vila shortly after midnight on Saturday.

Australia's Governor-General Peter Cosgrove said Mr Lonsdale "served the people of Vanuatu with dignity and humility, and was much loved".

While president, Mr Lonsdale oversaw the vast rebuilding of parts of Vanuatu after Cyclone Pam left an estimated 75,000 people homeless in March 2015.

In October the same year, he vowed to clean up corruption in Vanuatu after a scandal involving his deputy.

Speaker Marcellino Pipite was one of 14 MPs - half of the country's parliament - convicted of giving and receiving corrupt payments over a vote of no confidence in a previous government.

He went on to pardon himself and the other 13 MPs while Mr Lonsdale was out of the country, a pardon the president then rescinded on his return.

Vanuatu - Key facts</s>The President of Vanuatu, Baldwin Lonsdale, has died of a heart attack, the Vanuatu Daily Post reported Saturday. He was 67.

Lonsdale, who sacked his government two years ago over a massive corruption scandal, passed away in the Pacific island nation's capital of Port Vila.

"National Flag is at half mast early this morning. His body is reportedly at the Vila Central Hospital," the newspaper said.

Former Vanuatu MP Sela Molisa told Radio New Zealand that "Vanuatu has lost one of its greatest leaders."

Lonsdale, a civil servant before becoming an Anglican priest, was elected to the presidency in 2014.

Although the role was considered largely ceremonial, Lonsdale became a symbol of hope for Vanuatu when Cyclone Pam caused severe damage in the country in early 2015.

Six months later he steered the country through a political crisis when half the government of prime minster Sato Kilman was convicted of corruption, making them ineligible for office.

After one of the convicted MPs, then-speaker of parliament Marcellino Pipite, pardoned himself and 13 colleagues in his capacity as acting president while Lonsdale was overseas, Lonsdale returned to dissolve parliament and call a snap election which saw Kilman's government defeated.

"He was firm and wouldn't be swayed," Molisa said. "I'm sure the government and every other -- especially at the political level -- people would recognise that Vanuatu has lost a very outstanding leader."</s>Vanuatu’s President Reverend Baldwin Lonsdale has died suddenly at the age 67, the Vanuatu Daily Post newspaper reported on Saturday.

SYDNEY: Vanuatu’s President Reverend Baldwin Lonsdale has died suddenly at the age 67, the Vanuatu Daily Post newspaper reported on Saturday.

Lonsdale, an Anglican priest who was appointed to the largely ceremonial role in September 2014, died in Port Villa, the Pacific Island nation’s capital, early on Saturday, the newspaper said.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that Lonsdale had suffered a heart attack.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said on Twitter she was saddened to hear of Lonsdale's death.

"Condolences to his family, the government and people of Vanuatu," she said.</s>Sydney: Vanuatu’s President Reverend Baldwin Lonsdale has died suddenly at the age 67, the Vanuatu Daily Post newspaper reported on Saturday.

Lonsdale, an Anglican priest who was appointed to the largely ceremonial role in September 2014, died in Port Vila, the Pacific Island nation’s capital, early on Saturday, the newspaper said.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that Lonsdale had suffered a heart attack.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said on Twitter she was saddened to hear of Lonsdale`s death.

"Condolences to his family, the government and people of Vanuatu," she said.</s>Vanuatu's widely revered President, Baldwin Lonsdale, has died after suffering a sudden heart attack in the Pacific island nation's capital of Port Vila.

Mr Baldwin, who had served as President since September 2014, died in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Dan McGarry, media director at the Vanuatu Daily Post, said hundreds of people had stood in a vigil held after Mr Lonsdale's death to pay their respects to the highly regarded head of state.

Though the presidency in Vanuatu is a largely ceremonial position akin to Australia's governor-general position, Mr McGarry said the late President's handling of a corruption scandal that shook the country in 2015 projected his influence beyond his power on paper.

When Vanuatu's Speaker of Parliament, Marcelline Pipite, pardoned 14 government MPs convicted of corruption, Mr Lonsdale returned from abroad, apologised for the abuse of power and rescinded the pardons.

"It was his response really, it catalysed the reaction against this abuse of power," Mr McGarry said.

Mr Lonsdale was also a clergyman and the highest-ranking chief in Vanuatu's Banks group of islands, where his body is expected to be returned to later next week, Mr McGarry added.

His body is lying in state and the Government is expected to announce a state funeral.</s>Vanuatu's President Baldwin Lonsdale has died after suffering a sudden heart attack in the Pacific island nation's capital of Port Vila, ABC Online reports.

Baldwin, who had served as president since September 2014, died in the early hours of Saturday morning.</s>Mr. Lonsdale, a civil servant before becoming an Anglican priest, was elected in 2014.

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Also, Like us on facebook</s>Baldwin Lonsdale passed away in the Pacific island nation's capital of Port Vila.</s>President Baldwin Lonsdale died at Vila Central Hospital early this morning after being rushed to hospital last night.

President Lonsdale has been Head of State since September 2014. From Mota Lava island, Lonsdale was previously an Anglican priest, Secretary-General of Torba Province.

President Lonsdale played a critical role in recent events in Vanuatu. While category 5 Cyclone Pam was battering Vanuatu in March 2015, President Lonsdale was attending a world conference on disaster risk reduction in Japan, and his emotional appeals for international assistance helped galvanise the international humanitarian response to Cyclone Pam.

But arguably his greatest contribution came just seven months later in October 2015 when the then Speaker of Parliament Marcellino Pipite abused his position as Acting President to issue a ‘presidential pardon’ to himself and the 13 other MPs who had just been convicted of bribery.

The President, en route from Samoa during Pipite’s attempt to undermine the rule of law, returned to Vanuatu and immediately revoked the pardon.

During a televised address to the nation, President Lonsdale was visibly upset, expressing his “shame and sorrow” at Pipite’s misuse of his powers. He vowed to “clean the dirt from my backyard”, telling Vanuatu’s people that “we as a nation have to stop these crooked ways”.

Following a failed appeal against his revocation of Pipite’s pardon, Lonsdale then dissolved Parliament and called a snap election.

President Lonsdale’s actions were widely seen as a decisive blow against Vanuatu’s culture of impunity for corrupt politicians. Addressing the newly-elected MPs at the opening session of Parliament following the election, he described the new legislature as a “new chart for Vanuatu’s destiny”.

He will also be remembered for his leadership of Vanuatu’s Anglican church, and his strong support for kastom and for women’s rights.

The Vanuatu Government is currently making arrangements with his family and Motalava chiefs for a state funeral.
Baldwin Lonsdale, the President of Vanuatu, dies suddenly of a heart attack at age 67. Parliament Speaker Esmon Saimon takes his post as acting president.