General elections were held in Samoa on 9 April 2021 to determine the composition of the 17th Parliament. The Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP), which had been in government for most of the time since 1982, was led into the election by Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi, who had served as prime minister since 1998. The passage of the controversial Land and Titles bills by the HRPP led some party members to defect, establishing the Faʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party promising a repeal. FAST elected Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa, the daughter of Samoa's first prime minister, as leader shortly before the election; she left the ruling party and resigned as deputy prime minister in 2020, also in opposition to the amendments.

The results produced a tie between the HRPP and FAST, winning 25 seats each, while one independent won a seat. Both parties subsequently negotiated with the kingmaker independent, Tuala Iosefo Ponifasio, who later joined FAST. However, during the negotiations, the electoral commissioner determined the results did not satisfy the 10% female parliamentary quota and announced the appointment of a sixth woman member of parliament, who was a member of the HRPP, leading to a deadlock with both parties holding 26 seats. To resolve the impasse, the O le Ao o le Malo (head of state), Tuimalealiʻifano Vaʻaletoʻa Sualauvi II, on the prime minister's advice, ordered a snap election. However, the Supreme Court later overturned both proclamations and instructed parliament to convene within 45 days of the election, as required by the constitution. Malielegaoi refused to accept the results, plunging the country into a prolonged political crisis.

On 24 May, the final day parliament could sit, FAST members arrived at a locked parliament surrounded by police. The O le Ao o le Malo and the HRPP caucus boycotted the sitting, prompting the FAST caucus to conduct an ad hoc ceremony in a tent outside of parliament, swearing in its members and a new government with Mataʻafa as prime minister. Malielegaoi denounced the ceremony as "illegal" and accused FAST of treason. After months of legal disputes, the Court of Appeal ruled on 23 July that the ad hoc ceremony was legally binding and that FAST had been the legitimate government since 24 May. The ruling confirmed Mataʻafa as Samoa's first female prime minister, ending nearly four decades of HRPP governance and Malielegaoi's premiership of 22 years.

Following the election and subsequent political crisis, electoral petition proceedings in court saw the HRPP lose seven seats, a reduction to 18, while FAST maintained its 26-seat majority.

Background

The Human Rights Protection Party had dominated Samoan politics since 1982. The party's leader, Tuila‘epa Sa‘ilele Malielegaoi had served as prime minister since 1998 and around the time of this election was one of the longest-serving incumbent heads of government in the world. During the previous election held in 2016, the HRPP won a landslide re-election, winning 35 seats, including an extra seat established to fulfil the female parliamentary quota. The opposition Tautua Samoa Party (TSP) only won two seats down from 13 in the 2011 election, and the party's leader Palusalue Faapo II lost his seat. Many of the Independent candidates were HRPP affiliates but were not permitted to run as members of the ruling party as they were challenging HRPP incumbents. Therefore, following the election, of the 13 successful independents, 12 joined the HRPP giving the party a two-thirds majority of 47 seats. One independent joined the TSP, increasing its seat share to three. Still, because the TSP failed to win at least eight seats, it lost recognition as a parliamentary party which left Samoa without an official opposition. Fa‘apo II ceased to be the TSP leader after his loss, and the party did not select a replacement.

In December 2020, parliament passed three Land and Titles bills, a reform of the judicial system that would grant the land and titles court greater autonomy and would no longer be accountable to the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals. The bills sparked criticism from the Samoa Law Society, highlighting the lack of public consultation and a bypass of the due parliamentary process. The Supreme Court justices released a statement of condemnation, arguing the bills would undermine the rule of law. One member of parliament, Laʻauli Leuatea Schmidt, was expelled from the HRPP for his opposition to the bills, and went on to establish the Fa‘atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party. Schmidt's seat was later controversially declared vacant, but he retained it after successfully contesting a subsequent by-election in August 2020. Two other MPs of the ruling party later joined FAST, including Fiamē Naomi Mata‘afa, the daughter of Samoa's first prime minister Fiamē Mataʻafa Faumuina Mulinuʻu II, who resigned as deputy prime minister, and in March 2021, was elected by FAST to lead the party. Weeks before the election, the HRPP majority passed a bill requiring members of parliament to contest a by-election if they leave their party to become independents during the parliamentary term. Ale Vena Ale, a former member of the HRPP, later claimed the following year that the motive behind this law's passage was to prevent further defections from the party. Several TSP members also defected to FAST, including former leader Fa‘apo II and other former TSP members of parliament.

Electoral system

The 2021 election saw 51 members of parliament elected from single-member constituencies via first-past-the-post voting. Parliament approved amendments to the electoral act in 2019, which resulted in the constituencies being redrawn and increased to 51. These amendments also abolished the urban seat constituencies, which were designated for citizens in Apia who either resided on non-customary or had no connection to a traditional village. The 2013 Constitutional Amendment act mandates that at least 10% of members of parliament are women. If this quota were unfulfilled following an election, parliament must establish up to six additional seats allocated to the unsuccessful female candidates who attained the highest percentage of votes. Candidates were required to hold a matai title, have reached the age of 21 and have resided in Samoa for at least three years before the nomination deadline. Individuals convicted of a crime in Samoa or any other country within the previous eight years and people with a mental illness were ineligible to stand as candidates. Civil servants were permitted to run as long as they resigned. Should civil servants fail to do so, the date of filing their candidacy is by law deemed to be the point when they relinquish their role.

Voters

Universal suffrage came into effect in 1991, permitting all Samoan citizens aged 21 and older the right to vote. The passage of amendments to the electoral act in 2019 included the introduction of compulsory voting. Individuals who fail to cast a vote are required to pay a fine unless they provide a sufficient reason; in previous elections, voting was voluntary, but it was mandatory for eligible individuals to register. Pre-polling was open to individuals not present in Samoa on election day, people with disabilities and voters aged 65 and older. The 2019 electoral act also abolished special voting booths designated for voters enrolled in Savai‘i constituencies but residing in Apia, resulting in these individuals having to travel to their constituencies to vote. Although Samoan citizens residing abroad were allowed to register, the HRPP government refused to entertain overseas voting, as in the 2016 election. Which meant Samoans abroad had to travel to Samoa to vote. Prime Minister Malielegaoi claimed overseas voting would be vulnerable to irregularities. The decision sparked criticism from individuals like Tui Ātua Tupua Tamasese Efi, a former head of state and prime minister. He argued that because remittances from overseas Samoans contribute significantly to the economy, citizens abroad should be permitted to vote from afar. The former head of state believed the government's refusal to entertain overseas ballots was politically motivated.

Schedule

The government revealed the election date in April 2020. Voter registration closed on 8 October 2020, while the nomination period for candidates to register their candidacy occurred from 13 to 20 October. The dissolution of the 16th Parliament took place on 3 March 2021, and the O le Ao o le Malo, Tuimalealiʻifano Vaʻaletoʻa Sualauvi II, issued the writ for the election soon after on 9 March. Early voting occurred in the days leading up to the election from 5 to 8 April, and the official results were released on 16 April.

DateEvent8 October 2020Voter registration closes13 October 2020Candidate nominations open20 October 2020Candidate nominations close3 March 2021The 16th Parliament is dissolved9 March 2021The O le Ao o le Malo issues the Writ for the Election5 April 2021Early voting commences 8 April 2021Early voting concludes 9 April 2021 Election day16 April 2021Official results are released

Parties and candidates

In addition to FAST, four other new parties registered with the Electoral Commission before the election, the Samoa First Party, led by Unasa Iuni Sapolu, the Sovereign Independent Samoa Party (SIS), led by Fesola‘i Logomalieimatagi Tepa Toloa; the Samoa National Democratic Party (SNDP) and Tumua ma Puleono. In September 2020, the SNDP and Tumua ma Puleono allied with FAST to challenge the HRPP. Under this agreement, the SNDP and Tumua members would compete as FAST candidates, but the parties would not compete against one another in the same constituencies. The parties would also remain separate entities. The Tautua Samoa Party meanwhile rejected a similar offer from FAST; party President Afualo Wood Salele said the TSP was not established to enter coalitions and expressed confidence in his party's electoral chances. The TSP instead opted to form an informal partnership with the Samoa First and SIS parties in November 2020, in which the parties would support one another's candidates in constituencies where none of their members was contesting.

Initially, 200 candidates were registered to contest the election; however, following court challenges and withdrawals, the candidate total decreased to 189. There were 21 female contenders, down from 24 in 2016. The ruling HRPP fielded 105 candidates. Party leader and prime minister, Tuila‘epa Sa‘ilele Malielegaoi, confirmed in July 2020 that he would seek a record fifth term as head of government. The HRPP continued its strategy of fielding multiple candidates in constituencies, which included official party members and unofficial affiliates. This strategy benefited the party in previous elections, allowing constituents to vote out HRPP MPs whose favourability had declined without causing the party to lose seats and ultimately helped it to retain majorities. FAST nominated 52 candidates; the TSP fielded 14, five Samoa First members qualified and the SIS party had one. Twelve candidates were independents.

PartyLeaderCandidatesFounded2016 seatsHuman Rights Protection Party Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi 105 1979 Tautua Samoa Party Afualo Wood Salele 14 2008 Faʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa 52 2020Not yet foundedSamoa First Party Unasa Iuni Sapolu 5 2018Sovereign Independent Samoa Party Fesolaʻi Logomalieimatagi Tepa Toloa 1 2020Independents 12

Campaign Fa‘atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi