Samoa election official result adds another Parliamentary seat for women

There has been a significant development in the Samoan election, with the creation of an additional parliamentary seat.

Samoa's Head of State has declared that an additional seat has been added after an article in the country's constitution, regarding female representation, was activated.

Article 44(1A) requires that a minimum of 10 percent of Parliament's seats be occupied by female members.

In a public notice last night the Electoral Commission Office announced that the Article had been activated because the election results had not met the 10 percent threshold. Rather, "Only 9.8 percent of the women membership was achieved after the general election".

The extra seat was allocated to the female candidate who came closest to winning an electorate seat.

In the current circumstances the new seat has gone to the former chair for the Parliamentary public accounts committee, Aliimalemanu Alofa Tuu'au, who represents the Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP).

She is the sixth woman to be sworn in for the new Parliamentary term.

Significantly this development gives the incumbent HRPP 26 seats, ahead of the newly formed FAST party on 25.

The slim majority will allow HRPP to once again form the government.

Previously both HRPP and FAST had been in negotiations with independent MP Tuala Iosefo Ponifasio for his deciding seat.

These negotiations are now in limbo.

 

Photo file Parliament of Samoa