The election will be "very challenging" as many buildings that used to be polling stations were made unsafe in the earthquake that struck Port Vila in December, a spokesman for the Vanuatu High Commission in Canberra told AAP.
The country remains in recovery phase, after immediate assistance was received from Australia, France, New Zealand and most recently China, which is vying for influence in the Pacific nation.
Australia was one of a number of countries that sent aid to Vanuatu after the earthquake. (HANDOUT/DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE)
The state of emergency has been lifted and the airport in the capital Port Vila has reopened, but more than 400 aftershocks have rattled the community which is also facing the looming cyclone season.
The date for the election and a Port Vila Northern Ward Constituency by-election has been pushed out slightly to January 16, with many of the polling booths used in a recent referendum expected to be reused.
Political campaigning has begun and will end at midnight on January 13, allowing for a blackout period until polling day.
Vanuatu is one of the world's most disaster-prone nations with sporadic eruptions from the Manaro Voui volcano on Ambae Island and devastating cyclones as well as frequent earthquakes.
The 7.3 magnitude earthquake on December 17 left 14 dead including two Chinese nationals, injured more than 200 people and triggered landslides that caused widespread damage to critical infrastructure.
Many roads have been cleared in the past two weeks but the route to the international wharf in Port Vila and the central business district remain closed, the commission spokesman said.
There are also difficulties on the outskirts of Port Vila, where aftershocks continue to shake stones onto the roads.
But he said the aftermath was not expected to affect voter turnout, with more polling stations to open than in previous years.
Despite the earthquake damage, voter turnout for the election isn't expected to be overly affected. (HANDOUT/DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE)
"We're trying to bring the polling stations closer to the people, mainly from the outer highlands, which is something that began with the referendum," he said.
The referendum backed by the nation's citizens in 2024 was designed to stop political instability, after Vanuatu had three prime ministers in the space of a month in 2023.
Principal Electoral Officer Guilain Malessas has urged political parties to sort out their liabilities, including the payment of candidate fees and government debts.
Australian Electoral Commission told AAP it has provided election materials such as ballot boxes and secure ballot box seals and is standing by to provide further support as needed.
New Zealand is supporting Vanuatu's democracy through a United Nations Development Program-led electoral project.
The program aims to strengthen Vanuatu's democratic processes and political stability, including credible elections, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said.Â
The Vanuatu Electoral Office said the date change followed a request from the Council of Ministers to review the election timeline because of the earthquake.
The outcome will usher in the fifth change in government in two years, after President Nikenike Vurobaravu dissolved the local parliament in November.
Facing a no-confidence, Prime Minister Charlot Salwai, who is now acting as caretaker, had recommended to the president that he instead dissolve parliament, which triggered the snap election.
Vanuatu's top court subsequently dismissed a constitutional challenge to the dissolution, clearing the way for the latest poll.
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