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Inside Samoa’s Parliament: Understanding the Government Structure and Key Players

  • Writer: Fale O Matai Editorial Team
    Fale O Matai Editorial Team
  • Aug 15
  • 3 min read

Updated: 16 hours ago

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Samoa blends the fa’amatai (chiefly system) with Westminster-style parliamentary practice. The Constitution of 1962 establishes three arms of state: the Executive, the Legislature, and the Judiciary.


Head of State (O le Ao o le Malo)

The ceremonial Head of State is elected by the Legislative Assembly for five-year terms and may serve a maximum of two terms. Acting on the prime minister’s advice, the Head of State opens, prorogues, and dissolves Parliament.Current Head of State: Tuimalealiʻifano Vaʻaletoʻa Sualauvi II (first elected 2017, re-appointed 2022).


The Legislative Assembly (Fono)

Samoa has a unicameral Legislative Assembly of 51 members, each representing one constituency for a five-year term.

  • Women’s representation: At least 10 percent of MPs must be women. If the election result falls short, additional seats are added for the highest-polling women until the threshold is met.

  • Who can stand: Candidates must hold a matai (chiefly) title registered for the constituency, alongside other eligibility requirements set out in law.

  • Presiding officer: The Speaker presides over sittings, applies Standing Orders, and safeguards the House’s procedures.


How Parliament works

  • Sittings: The Fono meets at the Maota Fono in Mulinuʻu, Apia. The sitting calendar is set by the Speaker in consultation with the House.

  • Bills: Government or Members introduce bills. First reading places a bill on the agenda, committees examine details and take public submissions, and second and third readings complete passage. A bill becomes law upon assent by the Head of State.

  • Questions and scrutiny: MPs question ministers, debate motions, and review government spending and performance.

  • Committees: Select and special committees examine bills, budgets, and public administration. They may call witnesses and publish reports.

  • Budget cycle: The government presents the annual budget. Estimates go to committee for examination before the House votes on appropriations.


Key Players at a Glance (at dissolution on 3 June 2025)

  • Speaker of the House: Papali’i Li’o Oloipola Ta’eu Masipau (FAST)

  • Prime Minister: Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa (Samoa Uniting Party, SUP)

  • Deputy Prime Minister: Tuala Iosefo Ponifasio (SUP)

  • Leader of the Opposition: Tuila’epa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi (HRPP)

  • Clerk of the Legislative Assembly: Non-partisan head of parliamentary administration and adviser on procedure

  • Serjeant-at-Arms: Responsible for order in the chamber and ceremonial duties


How to follow Parliament

  • In person: Visitors may attend sessions at the Maota Fono, subject to parliamentary protocols.

  • Online: Sittings are livestreamed on Parliament’s official channels. Hansard transcripts and committee reports are published for public access.


Current Political Context (2025)

  • The government’s budget was voted down in late May 2025.

  • Parliament dissolved: 3 June 2025.

  • Election date: 29 August 2025 (pre-polling 27 August).

  • In January 2025, Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa and several cabinet members were expelled from the FAST Party following internal disputes. On 30 May 2025 they registered the Samoa Uniting Party (SUP) with Fiamē as leader. By dissolution, the prime minister and ministers were serving under the SUP banner.

  • The election features a three-way contest among SUP, FAST, and the long-dominant HRPP.


The Fa’amatai and Local Governance

The fa’amatai remains central to political life. Village councils (fono a nu’u), composed of matai, manage local affairs and community order.

The Constitution sets out national governance through:

  • Executive: Prime Minister and Cabinet

  • Legislature: Legislative Assembly

  • Judiciary: Supreme Court and Court of Appeal

Universal suffrage was introduced by referendum in 1990, giving citizens aged 21 and over the right to vote, first applied at the 1991 election.



Sources and Further Reading

  • Constitution of the Independent State of Samoa; Electoral Act 2019

  • Legislative Assembly of Samoa (palemene.ws) including Standing Orders, Hansard, committees, and visitor information

  • Official government statements and gazettes

  • Local and international reporting on the 2025 dissolution and election (AP, Reuters, RNZ, Samoa Observer, Samoa Global News)

 
 
 

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