Page 14 - IB May 2021

Samoa Samoa

Fiame Naomi Mataafa Photo: Autagavaia Tipi Autagavaia.

SAMOA ON TENTERHOOKS

By Monica Miller of ballots that the five female MPs comprised 9.8% of the 51
seats in Parliament.
Almost two months after voters in Samoa went to the polls He decided that a sixth female MP must be appointed to
to elect a new Parliament, the 51 men and women whom vot- meet the 10% threshold required under the law.
ers picked in the 9 April general elections had still not been Aliimalemanu, who headed the Parliamentary Finance Com-
sworn in at the time of this writing. mittee in the last Parliament was it.
After legal challenges and counter challenges by the two The results of voting on April 9 gave HRPP 25 seats, and the
main political parties, the Human Rights Protection Party newly established FAST Party 25 seats.
of caretaker Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi and Only one Independent candidate, lawyer Tuala Iosefo Poni-
Faatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi , FAST Party, led by the fasio was elected, and all eyes were on him as the kingmaker.
would-be first female Prime Minister of Samoa, Fiame Naomi It was nearly a week after the general elections that Tuala
Mataafa, things looked settled, with a final ruling by a Court made his decision to join FAST.
of Appeal on Friday, May 21. But shortly before Tuala went public with that decision
The appeals court upheld a decision by the Samoa Supreme following a meeting with his constituency on the island of
Court which found that the Electoral Commissioner erred Savaii, the Electoral Commissioner announced the selection
when he decided after the final vote recount that a female of Aliimalemanu, and a writ was issued by the Head of State
candidate for HRPP who did not win on Election Day, would be Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II declaring her to be a
a member of the XVII Parliament of Samoa anyway. member of the new parliament.
The decision by Electoral Commissioner Faimalomatumua At that point HRPP and FAST were tied with 26 seats each.
Mathew Lemisio, was based on a law which states that 10% of FAST filed a legal challenge with the Samoa Supreme Court
seats in the Samoa Parliament must be occupied by women. over Aliimalemanu’s appointment.
If that threshold is not met after a general election, then Before the court ruling came out, the Head of State issued
the Electoral Commissioner must choose the woman candi- a proclamation setting aside the results of the April 9 general
date with the highest percentage of ballots on Election Day , elections and calling for new elections to be held May 21st.
to hold the seat reserved for women. The reasons quoted by His Highness included the 26 seat
The law was enacted in time for the last general elections deadlock between the two main political parties, a prolonged
in 2016 and Aliimalemanu Alofa Tu’u’au would have been the adjudication of election petitions of which 56 petitions and
second female MP to get into the Maota Fono of Samoa under counter petitions were expected and the need to pass a bud-
the act. get in June.
During the 2021 poll, 5 women MPs were elected. “By June 2021, the financial year 2020/2021 will come to
The Electoral Commissioner, Faimalomatumua Mathew Le- an end, and with it the ability of Government to pay salaries
misio, an attorney, reached the conclusion after the recount of its employees, meet its expenses and pay for services- in-

14 Islands Business, May 2021