It has a parliamentary system of government with a prime minister and a 46-member parliament. The President has largely ceremonial powers, except when acting on the advice of the Council of Ministers. Vanuatu's citizens are divided by a variety of languages, by the nation's separation into more than 80 islands, and by their colonial experience. Over time Vanuatu has largely overcome this difference to forge a strong sense of nationhood.
Political legitimacy is based on majority rule, supported by both Melanesian and Western tradition.
The civilian authorities control the small police and paramilitary mobile forces. Because the Vanuatu economy is dependent on international trade, it is vulnerable to shifts in world market prices. Growth in tourism and Vanuatu's offshore banking center were expected once again to lead other sectors of the economy in 1993. Restrictions on freedom of speech and press, together with the treatment of women, remain the major human rights problems. No political or other extrajudicial killings by the Government or any organized group were reported.