There was applause and a sense of relief in Vanuatu's parliament today as Tallis Obed Moses was voted in as Vanuatu's new President.

Mr Moses, who had been a Presbyterian pastor, was sworn in this afternoon in a brief ceremony.

Photo: Dan McGarry - Vanuatu Daily Post

He was one of 16 people put forward for the role and emerged with two/thirds of the vote.

Mr Moses replaces Father Baldwin Lonsdale who died suddenly last month.

Media director of the Vanuatu Daily Post Dan McGarry was at parliament this morning for the vote which he said was a nail-biting affair with the President Tallis Obed Moses only emerging victorious with the very last votes cast.

Photo: Dan McGarry - Vanuatu Daily Post

Mr McGarry said the new president is a man of the cloth who trained in Australia and Papua New Guinea and has served as the moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Vanuatu.

"And he is also widely reviewed as somebody who is of impeccable moral character and I think that ultimately was the decisive factor as people took the legacy of the late president Baldwin Lonsdale into account when they cast their votes."</s>Tallis Obed Moses: Presbyterian pastor sworn in as Vanuatu's new President

Tallis Obed Moses has been sworn in as the new President of Vanuatu at a brief ceremony in the country's capital Port Vila.

One of 16 candidates that included former prime ministers an public servants, Mr Moses won the ballot as the ninth head of state after four rounds of voting.

Mr Moses, 63, is a long-serving pastor and former leader of the Presbyterian Church in Vanuatu.

He replaces former president Baldwin Lonsdale, who died suddenly of a heart attack several weeks ago while serving in office.

Although the Vanuatu presidency is often seen as a ceremonial position, Lonsdale was widely revered in the Pacific nation, in part due to his handling of a corruption scandal that shook the country in 2015.

Dan McGarry, the media director of the Vanuatu Daily Post who was at Parliament this morning, said Mr Moses' reputation as a man of "impeccable moral character" was a decisive factor played a significant role in his being elected to succeed Lonsdale.

Mr Moses had received religious training and education in Australia and Papua New Guinea before serving as head of Vanuatu's Presbyterian Church.</s>Tallis Obed Moses, a long-serving Pastor and former leader of the Presbyterian Church, has been elected President of the Vanuatu Republic in the southwest Pacific Ocean.

He replaces the former President Baldwin Lonsdale who died suddenly from a heart attack last month while serving in office.

Dan McGarry, the media director of the Vanuatu Daily Post who was at Parliament this morning, said Mr. Moses' reputation as a man of "impeccable moral character" was a decisive factor played a significant role in his being elected to succeed Lonsdale.

The Vanuatu Republic is an archipelago nation with 270,000 population. It's located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, north of New Zealand and east of Australia.</s>Vanuatu elected a pastor as its new president Thursday as the tiny pacific nation eyes continued “moral leadership” following the sudden death of its former head of state last month, local media said.

Tallis Obed Moses, a Presbyterian and clergyman most of his life, was sworn in after winning 39 votes against former prime minister Maxim Carlos Korman’s 17 votes, the Vanuatu Daily Post told AFP.

He replaces Baldwin Lonsdale, an Anglican priest who was elected to the presidency in 2014 but died of a heart attack in mid-June in the capital Port Vila.

“It came right down to the last vote,” the Post’s Dan McGarry said of the nail-biting finish, which followed three rounds of voting and involved 16 candidates.

Religion plays an important role in Vanuatu, whose 270,000 population is largely Christian, with the majority Protestants and about 12 percent Catholic.

McGarry said support for Moses stemmed from a desire for “moral leadership”.

“He is well-regarded within his community and within the church. He is somebody to whom the nation will be looking for a degree of moral leadership.

“Our constitution says that the office of the president symbolises the unity of the people… and there are occasions when that becomes a very important issue.”

The electoral college consists of 52 members of parliament and six provincial presidents. Voting in the fourth and final round included one absentee and one invalid ballot.

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

Six months later he steered the country through a political crisis when half the government of prime minister Sato Kilman was convicted of corruption, making them ineligible for office.</s>Pastor wins race to be Vanuatu’s new president

Vanuatu elected a pastor as its new president Thursday as the tiny pacific nation eyes continued “moral leadership” following the sudden death of its former head of state last month, local media said.

Tallis Obed Moses, a Presbyterian and clergyman most of his life, was sworn in after winning 39 votes against former prime minister Maxim Carlos Korman’s 17 votes, the Vanuatu Daily Post told AFP.

He replaces Baldwin Lonsdale, an Anglican priest who was elected to the presidency in 2014 but died of a heart attack in mid-June in the capital Port Vila.

“It came right down to the last vote,” the Post’s Dan McGarry said of the nail-biting finish, which followed three rounds of voting and involved 16 candidates.

Religion plays an important role in Vanuatu, whose 270,000 population is largely Christian, with the majority Protestants and about 12 percent Catholic.

McGarry said support for Moses stemmed from a desire for “moral leadership”.

“He is well-regarded within his community and within the church. He is somebody to whom the nation will be looking for a degree of moral leadership.

“Our constitution says that the office of the president symbolises the unity of the people… and there are occasions when that becomes a very important issue.”

The electoral college consists of 52 members of parliament and six provincial presidents. Voting in the fourth and final round included one absentee and one invalid ballot.

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

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

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Also, Like us on facebook</s>Pastor Tallis Obed Moses was sworn in as President of the Republic at lunchtime today. Nineteen votes secured this victory which was warmly acknowledged by all dignitaries and Electoral College personnel present. The new occupant of the highest Constitutional position paid a highly articulate tribute to his predecessor. And then he took centre place as kastom ceremonies were performed outside Parliament where the election took place.

Moses was trained in theology and evangelism in Vanuatu and Australia. He has previously served as Moderator of the Presbyterian Church General Assembly and as parish pastor in half a dozen parishes from Erromango to Luganville. He stresses the need for unity in Vanuatu: the kind of unity which enabled Vanuatu leaders to achieve the unity of the Republic as was desired at Independence.

In other news: the Government, Municipality and Police are determined to avoid the level of violence recently experienced in a Port Vila nightclub, including two tragic deaths. Police are taking strong action against premises which do not follow their licensed requirements, copies of which must be produced on demand to the uniformed officers. Patrons are required to carry identity papers showing date of birth.
Tallis Obed Moses is elected President of Vanuatu, succeeding the late President Baldwin Lonsdale, who died in office in June.