Sāmoa Parliament and new PM to be sworn in

The 18th Parliament of Sāmoa will be sworn in on Tuesday, 16 September, marking the start of a new era of government for the island nation.

Following a landslide victory in the 29 August election, the Faatuatua i le Atua Sāmoa ua Tasi (FAST) party will see its leader, Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Fosi Schmidt, sworn in as Prime Minister.

He will be joined by opposition party members and independents at a ceremony held at the Multi-purpose Gymnasium in Tuanaimato.

Last week, the caretaker cabinet, led by Fiamē Naomi Mataafa, held a press conference to acknowledge the election results and congratulate the incoming executive government and prime minister-elect Laaulialemalietoa.

After conceding, Fiamē told RNZ she is committed to continuing her political career.

“I’ll be staying in for the next five years... You know the country voted us in. We did our work in the last term... we’re committed to seeing some of those developments go forward,” she says. “Ensuring the embedding of the rule of law into how the government is conducted, at all levels, especially the political level.

“It’s a continuing journey, I mean representation, advocacy, service.”

Outgoing Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mataafa. Photo/Anthony Perez

For many, Fiamē’s concession was a sharp contrast to the turmoil of 2021. After FAST secured a majority in that election, the Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) refused to concede, resulting in a constitutional crisis that led to months of leadership uncertainty.

HRPP leaders did not attend the swearing-in ceremony, causing the Parliament to be locked when FAST parliamentarians and officials arrived. The new FAST government had to conduct their swearing-in ceremony under a marquee outside the locked doors of Parliament House. Legal action from both sides dragged on for months.

But fears of a repeat of the 2021 crisis were quelled when HRPP leader Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi announced that the party would attend the swearing-in ceremony this week, as confirmed by the Head of State.

Former Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi. Photo/Anetone Sagaga

Speaking to the Samoa Observer on Monday, Tuilaepa acknowledged Laaulialemalietoa as Prime Minister-elect, saying, “I send my blessings on his appointment, as well as all members of parliament who will be sworn in.

“My only plea is that you remain faithful to your oath. These past four years have been a time of conflict between us, but now it has come to an end.”

On the same day, the HRPP marked the anniversary of what they call a “dark day” in political history, recounting the moment their MPs were blocked by Police from entering Parliament.

Speaking to party supporters, Tuilaepa reflected on the September 2021 events.

“We had just finished our morning prayer at our headquarters, and we were making our way over to Parliament. When we got there, Parliament was surrounded by metal fencing.

The 2021 elections aftermath saw FAST members sworn-in under a marquee, while HRPP members were locked out of Parliament. Photo/PMN

“Police blocked us with riot gear, shields, like what you would see in violence-prone countries. This was something new for Sāmoa, for our peaceful country that is guided by Christian values and led by matai.

“We had to seek a court order to allow us in to Parliament. We were blocked from entering because the FAST government wanted to pass the budget without the voice of the opposition party.”

Tuilaepa has previously indicated that HRPP candidates would lodge election petitions, alleging corrupt practices by FAST candidates.

Sāmoa’s District Court conducted vote recounts for 11 districts last week, with 10 of the recount applications filed by HRPP against FAST and one recount filed by an independent candidate against another independent, both of whom contested as FAST-affiliated independents.

As reported by Sāmoa Global News, District Court Judge Matautia Leota Raymond Schuster has dismissed the HRPP recount applications. He ruled that there was no evidence of bias, incompetence, or negligence by electoral officers during polling or pre-polling. Matautia confirmed that the systemic issues raised did not impact the election outcomes in the districts reviewed and certified the official results issued on 5 September as accurate.

At the end of the official election period, FAST secured 30 out of the 51 seats in Parliament, with the HRPP taking 14, Independents winning four seats, and the Sāmoa Uniting Party (SUP) taking three seats.

The Multi-purpose Gym at Tuanaimato has been transformed for the official swearing-in of the 18th Parliament.

Sāmoa’s Constitution only recognises a political party with eight or more members, meaning members of SUP will have to enter as independents unless they affiliate with FAST or HRPP. Existing independents from the districts of Vaisigano II, Palauli II, Siumu, and Vaa o Fonoti remain free agents and can declare for either of the two main political parties.

Laaulialemalietoa’s last public appearance was during a Sunday Thanksgiving service on 31 August, where he called for unity and support from all political parties.

Tuesday’s ceremony will officially usher in Sāmoa’s 18th Parliament - a transition expected to take place with both the government and opposition present, unlike the contentious events in 2021.