The Parliament is the unicameral legislative body of the Republic of Vanuatu

Vanuatu

Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...

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It was established by chapter 4 of the 1980 Constitution

Constitution of Vanuatu

The Constitution of Vanuatu is the supreme law of the Republic of Vanuatu. It was enacted in 1979, and came into force upon the country's independence on 30 July 1980....

, upon Vanuatu's independence from France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 and the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

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The functioning of Parliament is derived from the British

Politics of the United Kingdom

The politics of the United Kingdom takes place within the framework of a constitutional monarchy, in which the Monarch is the head of state and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government...

 Westminster system

Westminster System

The Westminster system is a democratic parliamentary system of government modelled after the politics of the United Kingdom. This term comes from the Palace of Westminster, the seat of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....

, and includes the principle of parliamentary supremacy, within the limits of the Constitution. The President

President of Vanuatu

The President of Vanuatu is the head of state of Vanuatu. The President is elected for a five-year term by an electoral college consisting of Parliament and the presidents of the regional councils.The President's role is mostly ceremonial...

, as a figurehead, may not veto parliamentary legislation, unless he considers it may be contrary to the Constitution, in which case he may refer it to the Supreme Court, and veto it only if the Supreme Court declares it to be contrary to the Constitution. Parliament is composed of fifty-two members, directly elected by citizens from multi-member constituencies for a four year term.

Parliament elects the Prime Minister from among its members. Members of Parliament are also, along with the presidents of Regional Councils, members of the electoral college which elects the President, for a five year term.