by Huang Xingwei
PORT VILA, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Iolu Johnson Abbil was elected president of the Pacific island country Vanuatu on Wednesday afternoon.
An electoral college, comprising the 52 members of parliament and the heads of the six provincial governments, should cast their ballots at the parliament house to vote a new head of state. On Wednesday afternoon, only 57 members of electoral college cast the ballots.
Among the 57 votes, Abbil won 41 votes, more than two-thirds of the votes. Former President Kalkot Mataskelekele won 16 votes.
It was the third attempt by the college to elect a new head of state in two days, after two earlier elections saw no one candidate attain the required two-thirds of the vote.
Under the constitution, a candidate must win the support of two-thirds of the electoral college to be elected new president.
A total of 11 candidates, including two women, contested for the presidency.
Vanuatu's presidential election began on Tuesday. But Tuesday's vote failed to come up with a clear winner.
During Tuesday's vote, Vincent Boulekone won 16 votes but failed to win the two thirds of the electoral college, or 39 votes.
Former President Kalkot Mataskelekele won 14 votes while Iolu Abbil won 11 votes. Kalo Nial and female candidate Yvette Sam both won seven votes.
A second round of votes was held on Wednesday morning. A total of 57 members of electoral college cast their ballots. Among the 57 votes, Abbil won 26 votes, Mataskelekele won 16 votes and Boulekone won 16 votes.
None of the candidates won the support of two-thirds of the electoral college to be elected president.
The third round of votes was held on Wednesday afternoon and Abbil won 41 votes, more than two thirds of the votes.
On Wednesday evening, Abbil was sworn in as Vanuatu's new president.
Abbil, born in 1944, comes from Tanna and was a former cabinet minister in the first Vanuatu government after the country gained independence in 1980.
He succeeds Kalkot Mataskelekele, whose term of presidency ended last month.
Mataskelele's nomination for re-election was earlier supported by several MPs including some within the government before the whole Natapei coalition finally agreed to support Abbil with their votes.
Vanuatu Prime Minister Edward Natapei told Xinhua on Wednesday evening that he was satisfied with the election results after three rounds of voting. He said Abbil is well respected in Vanuatu and deserves to be the president.
Parliament Speaker Maxime Carlot Korman, who has been the acting president after Mataskelekele's term expired in mid-August, also said the voting result was based on a comprise and agreement of the political parties.
Vanuatu, located in the South Pacific Ocean, has a population of 221,000. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some 1,750 km east of northern Australia, and is consisted of some 84 islands.
