[7] Even though his party performed poorly in the July 2004 election, he was re-elected as a Member of Parliament for the Port Vila Constituency with the highest number of votes.

[4] A split in Vanua'aku Pati was resolved in August 2005, and Natapei was re-elected as its president,[8][9] receiving 124 votes against 67 for Sela Molisa.

[11] Opposition leader Maxime Carlot Korman attempted a vote of no confidence motion just two days after Natapei became prime minister.

[15] Three Vanua'aku Pati MPs signed the motion of no confidence, and after they refused to withdraw their signatures, Natapei suspended them from the party immediately prior to the vote.

Despite being overseas on legitimate parliamentary business, his staff had failed to file the necessary paperwork with the Speaker to give notice of his absence.

[19] On December 5, however, Chief Justice Vincent Lunabek ruled that "the Speaker’s decision to unseat the PM on 27 November 2009 was ‘unconstitutional and of no legal effect’".

[23] On June 16, 2011 however, Chief Justice Vincent Lunabek ruled in a case put forward by Natapei, contesting the constitutionality of Kilman's election.

[26] During his interim premiership, Natapei cancelled Vanuatu's diplomatic recognition of Abkhazia, issued by Kilman the previous month.

[27] On June 26, Parliament elected Sato Kilman to the premiership, with 29 votes to Serge Vohor's 23, thus ending Natapei's interim duties.

[29] His cabinet included members of his own Vanua'aku Pati (VP) as well as the National United Party (VNUP).

[30] As Minister for Foreign Affairs, he applied Carcasses' policy in beginning a clean-up of the sale of diplomatic passports by previous governments.

In a review praised by Transparency International, he indicated that more than two thirds of the country's diplomats could lose their position, as their appointment had not followed proper procedures.