Walter Lini
Walter Hadye Lin̄i was a ni-Vanuatu Anglican priest and the first Prime Minister of Vanuatu, from independence in 1980 to 1991. He was born on Pentecost Island. During the era when Vanuatu was a condominium ruled by the United Kingdom and France, Lin̄i formed the Vanua'aku Pati, which was principally backed by English-speakers. He became the colony's Chief Minister in 1979 and ascended to the position of Prime Minister upon Vanuatu's independence in 1980.
Lin̄i's administration was very controversial in the West because of its ties with the Communist Bloc, Libya, and other socialist countries viewed with disdain by the United States and Europe, and its staunch opposition to nuclear testing in the region. He was the primary advocate of Melanesian socialism. Vanuatu provided support to the Kanak indigenous independence movement in New Caledonia and was the only country in the region to support the independence of East Timor, then under Indonesian occupation, to self-determination. His term ended in 1991, due to factionalism within his party. He joined the National United Party, of which he was leader at the time of his death. He died of an illness in Vanuatu's capital Port Vila. His sister, Hilda Lin̄i, and brother, Ham Lin̄i, are also politicians in Vanuatu. His sister Heather Lin̄i-Leo Matas was the first indigenous female lawyer in the country.Footnotes
