Edward Natapei
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Edward Nipake Natapei Tua Fanua`araki (born 1954) is a politician from Vanuatu. He was the foreign minister of Vanuatu briefly during 1991, the acting President of Vanuatu from March 2, 1999 to March 24, 1999, during a time in which he was the speaker of parliament, and the prime minister of Vanuatu from 2001 until 2004. He became prime minister in April 2001 when his predecessor, Barak Sopé lost a vote of no confidence. He was elected in May 2002. He retired after the parliamentary elections of July 2004, in which his party did not do well, and supported Ham Lini for the post of Prime Minister, but Lini was defeated. He is from the Vanua'aku Party, a socialist, Anglophone political party.