Alfred Maseng

Maseng had been acting president of Vanuatu from January 30 to March 2, 1994, while he was speaker of parliament and an acting president was needed in the interval between the expiry of a president's term and the next presidential election. In the 2004 presidential elections, Maseng was one of 32 candidates, and a two-thirds majority in parliament was needed to win. Balloting started on April 8, but this session and another session on April 10 failed to result in the required majority for any candidate. In the fourth round of balloting on April 12 (Easter Monday), Maseng defeated the government's candidate, Kalkot Mataskelekele, by a vote of 41 to 16, and was sworn in immediately.[1] He was removed as president on May 11, 2004, by the Supreme Court, which ruled that the election was invalid because of a rule banning people with criminal records from being elected.[2] It had been revealed that he was serving a suspended sentence on corruption charges, including receiving stolen goods.[3]

He was a member of the conservative Francophone Union of Moderate Parties. He died at a hospital in northern Vanuatu several months after his removal from the presidency. His age and cause of death have not been reported.