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Fono
The Legislative Assembly ( sm, Fono Aoao Faitulafono a Samoa), also known as the Parliament of Samoa ( sm, Palemene o Samoa), is the national legislature of Samoa, seated at Apia, where the country's central administration is situated. Samoan Parliament is composed of two parts: the O le Ao o le Malo (head of state) and the Legislative Assembly. In the Samoan language, the Legislative Assembly of Samoa is sometimes referred to as the Samoan Fono while the ''government'' of the country is referred to as the Malo. The word ''fono'' is a Samoan and Polynesian term for councils or meetings great and small and applies to national assemblies and legislatures, as well as local village councils. The modern government of Samoa exists on a national level alongside the country's '' fa'amatai'' indigenous chiefly system of governance and social organisation. In his or her own right, the O le Ao o le Malo can summon and call together the Legislative Assembly, and can prorogue or dissolve P ...
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2021 Samoan General Election
General elections were held in Samoa on 9 April 2021 to determine the composition of the 17th Parliament. In March 2021, Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa, a former member of the ruling Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) and a former Deputy Prime Minister, was elected to lead the main opposition party, Faʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST). Prime minister Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi led the HRPP into the election. Preliminary results showed a tie between the HRPP and FAST, with each winning 25 seats in the Legislative Assembly. This was confirmed in the final count. However, the Samoan electoral commission subsequently determined that, with women comprising 9.8 percent of the elected members, the results did not fulfil a constitutional provision which required that at least 10 percent of seats be held by women. As a result, an additional female candidate – Ali'imalemanu Alofa Tuuau of the HRPP – was declared elected, increasing the parliament's membership to 52 and the HRPP ...
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Parliament Of Samoa
The Legislative Assembly ( sm, Fono Aoao Faitulafono a Samoa), also known as the Parliament of Samoa ( sm, Palemene o Samoa), is the national legislature of Samoa, seated at Apia, where the country's central administration is situated. Samoan Parliament is composed of two parts: the O le Ao o le Malo (head of state) and the Legislative Assembly. In the Samoan language, the Legislative Assembly of Samoa is sometimes referred to as the Samoan Fono while the ''government'' of the country is referred to as the Malo. The word ''fono'' is a Samoan and Polynesian term for councils or meetings great and small and applies to national assemblies and legislatures, as well as local village councils. The modern government of Samoa exists on a national level alongside the country's '' fa'amatai'' indigenous chiefly system of governance and social organisation. In his or her own right, the O le Ao o le Malo can summon and call together the Legislative Assembly, and can prorogue or dissolve Pa ...
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2016 Samoan General Election
General elections were held in Samoa on 4 March 2016 to determine the composition of the 16th Parliament. Two parties contested the election, the ruling Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP), led by prime minister Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi which had governed since 1982 and the Tautua Samoa Party, led by opposition leader Palusalue Faʻapo II. The election was held following the passage of electoral reforms, including the implementation of a parliamentary women's quota that requires the legislature to have at least five female members. Parliament also introduced electoral boundary changes in 2015, which saw the abolition of the six double-member constituencies and the individual voters' seats, the constituents of the latter included voters with partial or no Samoan ancestry and individuals not connected to a traditional village. The HRPP won a landslide re-election, securing 35 seats; although several cabinet ministers lost their seats. The TSP suffered a significant los ...
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Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa
Afioga Fiamē Naomi Mataafa (born 29 April 1957) () is a Samoan politician and High Chiefess ('' matai'') who has served as the seventh Prime Minister of Samoa and leader of the Faatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party since 2021. The daughter of Samoa's first prime minister Fiamē Mataʻafa Faumuina Mulinuʻu II, Mata'afa is the first woman to serve as Samoa's head of government and the first to not be a member of the Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) since 1982. A member of the HRPP until 2020, she was the first woman appointed to Cabinet in Samoa's history. Mata'afa was the Minister of Education from 1991 to 2006 in the governments of prime ministers Tofilau Eti Alesana and Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi. In addition, she was the Minister of Women from 2006 to 2011 and Minister of Justice from 2011 to 2016. Mata'afa served as Samoa's first female deputy prime minister and deputy leader of the HRPP from 2016 to 2020, resigning in opposition to the controversial ...
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Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono and Apolima); and several smaller, uninhabited islands, including the Aleipata Islands (Nu'utele, Nu'ulua, Fanuatapu and Namua). Samoa is located west of American Samoa, northeast of Tonga (closest foreign country), northeast of Fiji, east of Wallis and Futuna, southeast of Tuvalu, south of Tokelau, southwest of Hawaii, and northwest of Niue. The capital city is Apia. The Lapita culture, Lapita people discovered and settled the Samoan Islands around 3,500 years ago. They developed a Samoan language and Samoan culture, Samoan cultural identity. Samoa is a Unitary state, unitary Parliamentary system, parliamentary democracy with 11 Administrative divisions of Samoa, administrative divisions. It is a sovereign state and a member of the ...
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O Le Ao O Le Malo
The ''O le Ao o le Malo'' ( Samoan for "Head of State") is the head of state of Samoa. The position is described in Part III of the 1960 Samoan constitution. At the time the constitution was adopted, it was anticipated that future heads of state would be chosen from among the four ''Tama a 'Aiga'' "matai" paramount chiefs in line with customary protocol. This is not a constitutional requirement, so Samoa can be considered a parliamentary republic rather than a constitutional monarchy. The government Press Secretariat describes Head of State as a "ceremonial president". The holder is given the formal style of ''Highness'', as are the heads of the four paramount chiefly dynasties. Members of the Council of Deputies act as deputy heads of state, standing in for the head of state when they are unable to fulfil their duties. The current O le Ao o le Malo is Tuimalealiʻifano Vaʻaletoʻa Sualauvi II, who was elected to a five-year term which started on 21 July 2017. Tuimalealiʻi ...
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Human Rights Protection Party
The Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP, sm, Vaega Faaupufai e Puipuia Aia Tatau a Tagata) is a Samoan political party. It was founded in 1982 and dominated Samoan party politics for decades thereafter, leading every government until their defeat in 2021. Va'ai Kolone and Tofilau Eti Alesana co-founded the party in May 1979 in opposition to the government of Tupuola Efi. It has governed the country since first winning power in 1982, except for a brief period in 1986 and 1987 when internal differences forced it into coalition. The two founders of the early party, Kolone and Alesana, both became Prime Ministers of Samoa. Former prime minister Tuila'epa Sailele Malielegaoi has led the party since 1998. The U.S. State Department's 2010 human-rights report (published on 8 April 2011) stated that the Human Rights Protection Party remained the only officially recognized party in the Legislative Assembly of Samoa (the Fono) as of that date. After the April 2021 Samoan general ...
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List Of Members Of The Legislative Assembly Of Samoa (2021–2026)
Members of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa were elected on April 2021 Samoan general election, 9 April 2021. According to preliminary results, the 51 members consisted of 25 representatives of Fa'atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST), 25 from the Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP), one from the Tautua Samoa Party and one independent. Official results were declared on 16 April, resulting in some change to individual winners, but no change to the overall balance of power. Election petitions subsequently saw four HRPP MPs unseated, and three more resign as part of settlements. Members Changes * On 18 June 2021 the election of the HRPP's Seiuli Ueligitone Seiuli was overturned by an election petition, which found him guilty of bribery and treating and banned him from office for 15 years. * On 29 June 2021 Sagaga No. 4 Tuisa Tasi Patea resigned to avoid an election petition. * On 5 July Aleipata Itupa i Lalo MP Fiugalu Eteuati Eteuati was convicted of 13 counts of bribery and ...
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Next Samoan General Election
General elections were due to be held in Samoa on 21 May 2021. They were called by O le Ao o le Malo (Head of state) Tuimalealiʻifano Vaʻaletoʻa Sualauvi II following the inconclusive results of the April 2021 election, but before the new parliament had even been convened or numerous electoral court petitions settled. The decision to call new elections was overturned by the Supreme Court on 17 May 2021 and the results of the April election restored. Background The April 2021 elections resulted in a hung Parliament, with the HRPP and FAST each tied on 25 seats, with independent Tuala Iosefo Ponifasio holding the balance of power. Ponifasio later joined the FAST Party, but in the interim the Samoan Electoral Commission controversially declared the HRPP's Ali'imalemanu Alofa Tuuau elected due to the requirement that a minimum of 10% of seats in parliament must be held by women, creating a 26–26 tie. The decision was immediately challenged in court. 28 election petitions, ...
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Cabinet Of Samoa
The Cabinet is the executive branch of the government of the Independent State of Samoa. Per article 31(1) of the Constitution, executive power is vested in the Head of State. Per article 26(1), however, "the Head of State in the performance of his functions shall act on the advice of Cabinet, the Prime Minister or the appropriate Minister, as the case may be". Article 32(1) provides that the Cabinet "shall have the general direction and control of the executive government" of Samoa. The Cabinet is composed, per article 32(2), of the Prime Minister and "not fewer than eight nor more than twelve other Members of Parliament", appointed by the Head of State on the advice of the Prime Minister. XVII Cabinet This Cabinet was appointed by Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa during the 2021 Samoan constitutional crisis following the April 2021 Samoan general election. The previous cabinet purported to continue in a caretaker role. On 23 July 2021 the Court of Appeal ruled that the swearing-in ce ...
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Faʻatuatua I Le Atua Samoa Ua Tasi
(FAST; English: "Samoa United in Faith") is a political party in Samoa. It was founded by MP La'auli Leuatea Polataivao and is currently led by Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa. Formation The party was registered on 30 July 2020, and in August 2020 began announcing candidates for the 2021 Samoan general election. It opposes controversial constitutional amendments proposed by the Human Rights Protection Party government of Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi, and supports a two term limit for the prime minister. It also supports decentralising services to villages. On 28 August 2020, party leader La'auli Leuatea Polataivao Schmidt was re-elected to Parliament in the 2020 Gagaifomauga No. 3 by-election. Thus becoming the party’s first elected MP. On 2 September 2020, the party announced it would join forces with the Samoa National Democratic Party and Tumua ma Puleono parties to contest the 2021 election. SNDP and Tumua ma Puleono candidates ran under the FAST banner, wit ...
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Papali’i Li’o Taeu Masipau
Papali’i Li’o Oloipola Taeu Masipau (born ) is a Samoan politician and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa. Papali’i is a lawyer and former Assistant Police Commissioner. He was first elected to the Fono as a candidate for the Tautua Samoa Party in the 2011 Samoan general election. He lost his seat in the 2016 election. In 2019 he ran as a candidate for the Human Rights Protection Party The Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP, sm, Vaega Faaupufai e Puipuia Aia Tatau a Tagata) is a Samoan political party. It was founded in 1982 and dominated Samoan party politics for decades thereafter, leading every government until their defea ... in the Fa’asaleleaga No. 2 by-election, but was unsuccessful. He was re-elected as a candidate for the F.A.S.T. party for Fa’asaleleaga No. 3 in the 2021 election. On 22 May 2021 he was nominated by FAST as Speaker. On 24 May he was sworn in in an ad-hoc ceremony after being locked out of Parliament. The appointment was dis ...
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