Harry Pascal Sebastien Iauko, born 16 May 1986, is a

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (; ), is an island country in Melanesia located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, east o ...

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 Meltek Sato Kilman Livtuvanu (born 30 December 1957) 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. he was previously prime minister from Decembe ...

'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, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

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: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

. By the time the election was held on May 27, the Kilman government had lost its majority in Parliament and resigned;

Moana Carcasses Moana Carcasses Kalosil (born 27 January 1963) is a Vanuatuan politician. He was Prime Minister of Vanuatu from March 2013 to May 2014. He was the first naturalized citizen of Vanuatu to become the country's prime minister. Carcasses was ousted ...

(of the

Green Confederation The Green Confederation (, ; sometimes seen as the Greens Confederation or Vanuatu Green Confederation) is a green political party in Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (; ), is an island country in Melanesia loca ...

) was the new Prime Minister, leading a broad coalition government. In the by-election, Pascal Iauko stood as the candidate of the

Iauko Group The Iauko Group () or Eagle Group is a political party in Vanuatu. History The party was established by Harry Iauko after he left the Vanua'aku Pati prior to the 2012 general elections.Tom Lansford (2015) ''Political Handbook of the World 2015' ...

, 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 Part ...

. 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 al ...

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"
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 21st-century Vanuatuan politicians