In November 2022 I wrote a blog predicting that Alatoi Ishmael Kalsakau’s reign was not guaranteed to last and that his government’s longevity would depend very much on how well he managed the interests of his eight coalition partners in government. Immediately after assuming power in early November 2022, Kalsakau and Sato Kilman (who has now taken over as Vanuatu’s prime minister) took on the task of tackling one of the most important issues that had clearly undermined the national budget – a decision by the European Union (EU) to put a partial ban on Vanuatu citizens from entering Europe visa-free.