Pascal Sebastien Iauko, born 16 May 1986, is a
Vanuatu
Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...
an politician.
Career
He entered politics at an unexpectedly young age, following the death of his father
Harry Iauko, MP for
Tanna and Minister for Infrastructure, Public Utilities and Public Service in Prime Minister
Sato Kilman's government, on 10 December 2012. Harry Iauko's death led to a
by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
for his seat in
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
. By the time the election was held on May 27, the Kilman government had lost its majority in Parliament and resigned;
Moana Carcasses (of the
Green Confederation) was the new Prime Minister, leading a broad coalition government. In the by-election, Pascal Iauko stood as the candidate of the
Iauko Group, a small political movement which had been headed by his father, after his break-away from the
Vanua'aku Pati
The Vanua'aku Pati () is a democratic socialist political party in Vanuatu.
History
The party was founded on 17 August 1971 by Walter Lini as the New Hebridean Cultural Association, renamed later that same year as the New Hebrides National Party ...
. Parties within the Opposition coalition tacitly endorsed him and did not stand against him, while the main parties within the coalition government each stood a candidate. Thus, "the seat was contested by almost a united opposition against a divided government side". Iauko's youth and "quiet demeanour" were commented upon, but he was also endorsed by local elders.
His father, despite having been a highly controversial figure, convicted in 2011 for
aiding and abetting
Aiding and abetting is a legal doctrine related to the guilt of someone who aids or abets (encourages, incites) another person in the commission of a crime (or in another's suicide). It exists in a number of different countries and generally allo ...
intentional assault (having supervised the beating up of a journalist who had criticised him), had remained popular on Tanna, where there remained a strong tradition of handing on leadership positions to family members of deceased leaders.
["By-elections and voting behaviour in Vanuatu"](_blank)
Pacific Institute of Public Policy, June 2013 Pascal Iauko, at the age of just 27, was elected in a landslide victory, with the largest vote tally in the country's history. He secured 4,017 votes, a record, corresponding to 32% of the vote, with a record lead of 1,341 votes (10.7%) over his closest opponent, and joined the Opposition benches.
In October 2013, the Iauko Group, under the leadership of
Tony Nari, merged back into the Vanua'aku Pati, and joined Prime Minister Carcasses' parliamentary majority. From then on, Pascal Iauko sat as a Vanua'aku Pati government backbencher.
Conviction
On 22 October 2015, he was found guilty of bribery, was sentenced to three years in prison, and lost his seat in Parliament.
"Members of the 10th Legislature"
Parliament of Vanuatu
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iauko, Pascal
1986 births
Members of the Parliament of Vanuatu
Living people