Samoa general elections

The Commission recommends merging the Lotofaga and Lepa constituencies.

Opposition leader Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi is the member for Lepā and said he was concerned about the proposal which would pitt him against Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Mata'afa.

The Samoa Observer reports the Commission's report is currently being reviewed by the Standing Orders Parliamentary Committee with its recommendations yet to go before the House.

It will also look at the mandatory 10 percent quota for women in parliament.

A public notice from the inquiry chair, Luafatasaga Tu'u'u Ieti Taulealo, has outlined the issues to be reviewed.

Recognising the contribution of Samoans abroad was an issue the ruling FAST party campaigned on during the April 2021 General Election.

The nationwide consultations start this week.

The Samoa Observer reports the commission has to consult the public over the issues and make recommendations for ways to improve the electoral process.

A notice issued by the Ministry of Commerce industry and Labour from the Office of the Electoral Commission confirmed the cancellation. 

The notice stated that “The public, business communities and shop owners, employers and workers are hereby advised that according to the public notice from the Office of the Electoral Commissioner to revoke the general election for 21st May 2021, public holidays scheduled for Thursday 20th and Friday 21st of May 2021 are now cancelled”.

TV1 Samoa is reporting caretaker Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi as saying the chaos of voters cramming into ferries and buses to vote at their electoral constituencies has given the Office of the Electoral Commission a lesson in logistics.

Voters travelling to and from their electorates on all four inhabited islands also had to pay their own travel and accommodation expenses.

Tuilaepa said people will now be able to vote where they live.

He adds that cameras will operate in the polling stations to ensure everything is lawful.

 How it decides on any of the petitions could break the deadlock that's prevented a government from being formed for nearly a month.

The incumbent Human Rights Protection Party and the newcomer FAST party remain tied on 26 seats each.

The complaints raise questions about the validity of certain victories, the practices of candidates, and of the Electoral Commissioner.

The court has scheduled the first hearings from Tuesday.

This comes as two parties, tied at 26 seats each, battle to become the new Samoa government.

The Supreme Court today dismissed a request from the Attorney General's office which was seeking to have the motion from the FAST party struck out.

Political newcomers FAST had asserted that the Office of the Electoral Commissioner was wrong to make the appointment of a 6th woman.

The office had done this to ensure at least ten percent of the seats in the then 51 seat house were filled by women, after five had won their seats in the poll on April 9th.

Fonotoe has been a Member of Parliament for the past 16 years.

He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Samoa after a by-election in 2005 and was subsequently re-elected at the 2006 general election.

The voting by secret ballot was carried out during a HRPP caucus meeting last week.

Fonotoe was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce, Industry and Labour from 2011 – 2016, but when he returned to Parliament in 2016, he was not reappointed as a Cabinet Minister.

The FAST party, which is level pegging with the HRPP party at 26 seats apiece after the election two weeks ago, sought a court ruling on the eligibility of the Fa'asaleleaga 5 constituency, Peseta Vaifou Tevagaena.

FAST asserted that Peseta, who has previously held a cabinet ranking, had a criminal conviction that was not disclosed during candidate registration.

The Supreme Court has indicated it would consider this matter before it looked at another FAST challenge - that of the electoral commissioner's addition of a 6th woman' seat.

 Other constitutional experts have told the Samoa Observer the Office of the Electoral Commissioner’s (OEC) Tuesday night announcement has not only entrenched political paralysis but raised questions about the OEC's use of its authority.

 As a result of the office's installation of a new MP and constituency, both major parties now have 26 seats each to their name. 

 Neither the Faatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party nor the Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) can now form Government when the Parliament first convenes before May’s end.

As a result, an additional woman, Ali'imalemanu Alofa Tuuau, was declared MP for the incumbent Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP), joining five other women already elected to Parliament.

The move has complicated the aspirations of former deputy prime minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa, who was expected to become the nation's first female prime minister once her Fa'atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST party) claimed a slim majority.