Vanuatu

Constitution of the Republic of Vanuatu 1980 (am. 2013) + Public Finance and Economic Management Act 1998 (Cap. 244) + Expenditure Review and Audit Act (Cap. 139) + Government Contracts and Tenders Act

Constitution of the Republic of Vanuatu 1980 (as amended to 2013) Arts. 25-26; Public Finance and Economic Management Act 1998 (Cap. 244 of the Laws of Vanuatu); Expenditure Review and Audit Act, Cap. 139 (amended 2000); Government Contracts and Tenders Act (Laws of Vanuatu)

Statute text →

Fiscal Transparency: 47/100 (moderate)
47
out of 100
weak
35 of 37 scored fields populated. Higher = stronger statutory transparency requirements.
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Vanuatu's fiscal transparency framework is governed by the Constitution 1980 (am. 2013, Arts. 25-26), Public Finance and Economic Management Act 1998 (Cap. 244), Expenditure Review and Audit Act Cap. 139, and Government Contracts and Tenders Act. NOT surveyed in IBP OBS (structural absence -- all rounds 2006-2023). Auditor-General appointed by the Public Service Commission (PSC) per Constitution Art. 25(4) -- CONFIRMED via constituteproject.org/constitution/Vanuatu_2013 (2026-04-19); this corrects the batch-16 prediction error (initially listed as appointed_executive). Art. 25(6) mandates AG independence from direction or control. Key strength: monthly in-year expenditure reporting (PFEMA Cap. 244 statutory mandate; monthly budget reports confirmed on doft.gov.vu 2023-2025). doft.gov.vu (200 OK, 2026-04-19) hosts budget books 2025 (Vols 1-3), BPS 2022-2026, appropriations 2022-2024, AFS 2017-2022, and Debt Bulletins. Key weaknesses: PI-24 (D) persistent across all 3 PEFA cycles (procurement non-publication); PI-31 (D) -- PAC inactive 2020 and 2022; PI-30 D+ (audit delivery: 11-19 month delay); PI-9 (D) -- only one of nine fiscal documents publicly available. No RTI law; no OGP membership; no fiscal oversight body; no legislative budget office. nao.gov.vu: 503 Service Unavailable (2026-04-19). PacLII SSL error prevents primary statute text verification. Score: 47 (weak band; +2 pts above cluster baseline from monthly reporting override). CPI 2024: 47/100 (rank 63/182).

Transparency Requirements

Budget Publicationmax 12 pts

Budget publication required ✓ Yes
Budget published online ✓ Yes
Budget publication timeline —
Machine-readable budget format No
Draft budget required before adoption ✓ Yes

Expenditure Disclosuremax 12 pts

Expenditure disclosure required ✓ Yes
Expenditure granularity department
Public expenditure portal required No
Expenditure reporting frequency monthly

Independent Auditmax 12 pts

Audit required ✓ Yes
Auditor independent of entity ✓ Yes
Auditor selection method appointed independent
Audit frequency annual
Audit reports public ✓ Yes
Audit scope financial performance

Contract & Procurementmax 10 pts

Public bidding required ✓ Yes
Contract publication required No
Bid award disclosure No
Beneficial ownership disclosure No

Debt & Liability Disclosuremax 10 pts

Debt disclosure required ✓ Yes
Pension liability disclosure No
Contingent liability disclosure No
Voter approval required for new debt No

Fiscal Reporting Frequencymax 10 pts

Interim reporting required ✓ Yes
Interim reporting frequency monthly
Year-end report deadline —
Citizens budget required No

Enforcement & Oversightmax 10 pts

Non-compliance penalties ✓ Yes
Fiscal oversight body No
Whistleblower protections No
Legislative budget office No

Revenue & Tax Transparencymax 8 pts

Tax expenditure reporting No
Revenue forecasting required ✓ Yes
Tax rate publication ✓ Yes
Fee schedule publication No

Compensation & Payrollmax 8 pts

Salary disclosure required No
Salary disclosure scope —
Pension benefit disclosure No
Overtime reporting No

Capital & Asset Disclosuremax 8 pts

Capital plan required ✓ Yes
Asset inventory required No
Surplus asset disposal transparency No

All Fiscal Transparency Laws