21 Facts About Sato Kilman

Meltek Sato Kilman Livtuvanu was born on 30 December 1957 and is a Vanuatuan politician who served as the Prime Minister of Vanuatu on four previous occasions, most recently from 4 September to 6 October 2023.

Sato Kilman is the Leader of the People's Progress Party and an MP from Lakatoro on Malekula Island.

In 1977, Sato Kilman joined the British Police Force in New Hebrides as a corporal.

Sato Kilman was appointed commander of the Vanuatu Mobile Forces in 1984 and assistant commissioner of the Vanuatu Police Force in 1986.

Sato Kilman was promoted to police commissioner in 1992, but was dismissed the following year and controversially replaced with a political appointee who had a criminal record.

Sato Kilman subsequently pursued business interests in the logging industry.

Lini soon joined a coalition government with Vohor as Sato Kilman became the leader of the opposition and a particularly strong critic of Vohor's attempts to establish relations with Taiwan.

In December 2004, Sato Kilman filed the no confidence motion which deposed Vohor and made Lini prime minister.

Sato Kilman was dismissed from the government in a cabinet reshuffle in late July 2007.

In March 2009, Sato Kilman was named leader of the Opposition, because the Alliance bloc had the largest number of seats of any Opposition party or alliance.

In November 2009, in a major cabinet reshuffle, Sato Kilman was brought into Natapei's government as deputy prime minister.

On 2 December 2010 Sato Kilman was appointed prime minister after Edward Natapei was ousted in a vote of no confidence.

Sato Kilman was himself narrowly ousted in a vote of no confidence on 24 April 2011, by 26 votes to 25; Serge Vohor succeeded him.

Sato Kilman's premiership was annulled, and Natapei was restored as interim prime minister, instructed to convene Parliament for the election of a new prime minister.

Ironically, as Natapei's ministers were restored as interim ministers, Sato Kilman reverted to being Natapei's interim deputy prime minister - a position he was expected to hold only for a few days.

Sato Kilman retained the confidence of Parliament following the October 2012 general election, forming a broad coalition government.

Sato Kilman ousted Joe Natuman through a no-confidence vote, having been sacked as foreign minister by Natuman the previous week.

In October 2015, half of the MPs in Sato Kilman's government, including Deputy Prime Minister Moana Carcasses and several other ministers, were imprisoned for bribery.

Sato Kilman refused to comment publicly during the case, and allowed convicted MPs to remain in their positions as government ministers right up until the point of their imprisonment.

Sato Kilman's perceived lack of leadership during the crisis, and refusal to take responsibility for corruption within his government, was widely criticised and led to calls for his resignation.

Sato Kilman told fellow MPs his top concern would be to "review foreign policy so that it benefitted Vanuatu more", seeking "new export markets".