Vanuatu's Electoral College has finally elected a new president after seven meetings.
Fr Baldwin Lonsdale, from the island of Motalava in Torba Province and a priest in the Anglican Church, is the eighth president of the country.
Fr Lonsdale is the second Anglican priest to become head of state.
He was a senior civil servant and the secretary general of the Torba provincial government before becoming a priest.
Photo: RNZ / Walter Zweifel
Fr Lonsdale says his election is a privilege and a happy moment for the people of Torba province.
He says he will uphold the constitution and ask the people of Vanuatu to stand united.
"I know that there is a big responsibility in the office of the head of state but my first and foremost priority is to make sure that the constitution of the nation is upheld at all times and that peace, unity, justice and harmony prevail at all times. And I will call for the need to seek the support of all citizens of the nation."
Vanuatu's new president, Baldwin Lonsdale.
