2001 Samoan general election
2 March 2001
All 49 seats in the Legislative Assembly
25 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
SUPP
Leader Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi Tui Ātua Tupua Tamasese Efi
Party HRPP SNDP SUPP
Last election 43.54%, 24 seats 26.09%, 11 seats New
Seats won 23 13 1
Seat change Decrease 1 Increase 2 New
Popular vote 34,262 17,966 1,898
Percentage 44.82% 23.50% 2.48%
Swing Increase 1.28 pp Decrease 2.59 pp New
Prime Minister before election

Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi
HRPP

 Subsequent Prime Minister

Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi
HRPP

General elections were held in Samoa on 2 March 2001 to determine the composition of the 13th Parliament.[1] Prime minister Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi led the Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) into the election. Opposition leader and former prime minister and future head of state, Tui Ātua Tupua Tamasese Efi led the Samoan National Development Party (SNDP) into the election.[2] The HRPP won 23 seats, but initially fell short of a majority. The SNDP won 13 seats, the Samoan United People's Party secured one seat and the remaining 12 were won by independents.[3] Following the election, all 12 independents joined the HRPP, giving the party a majority in parliament and allowing Tuila'epa to remain prime minister.[4][5]

Background

During the previous general election held in 1996, the Human Rights Protection Party won the most seats but fell short of a majority. The opposition Samoan National Development Party won 11 seats; the Samoa Liberal party secured a single seat, and independents won the remaining seats. The incumbent HRPP government remained in power due to the support of 10 independent MPs.[6]

The HRPP government altered the constitution in 1997 to change the position of chief auditor from life tenure until age 60 to a term of three years. The ruling party also made alterations so that removing the chief auditor required only a simple majority vote in the legislative assembly, as opposed to a two-thirds majority as had been the case prior.[7] This action occurred after chief auditor Su'a Rimoni Ah Chong exposed widespread corruption within the HRPP government in 1994, resulting in his suspension and eventual dismissal the following year.[8][9]

Tofilau's government changed the country’s name from 'Western Samoa' to 'Samoa' in 1997.[10] The change sparked controversy and drew criticism, particularly from individuals in American Samoa. They argued that the modification threatened their identity and continued referring to the Independent State of Samoa as 'Western Samoa'.[11]

Prior to the election, in 1998 prime minister and HRPP leader Tofilau Eti Alesana resigned due to ill health. Tofilau was succeeded by deputy prime minister Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi, and died the following year.[12]

Electoral system

During the time of the 2001 election, Samoa's parliament, the legislative assembly, was composed of 49 seats, with each member serving a five year term. Thirty-five members were elected from single-member constituencies, six constituencies elected two members, whilst the other two were elected through individual voters, mostly non-ethnic Samoans and individuals with partial Samoan ancestry. Candidates were elected using the First-past-the-post voting system. Only Matai (Chiefs) were permitted to contest any of the 47 constituencies, whilst the other two seats were open to all individuals.[13][14] The controversial Electoral Amendment act, which came into effect in 2000, required candidates to have resided in Samoa for at least three years to qualify as a candidate. Previously, the requirement was 12 months.[5] Civil servants were not allowed to run.[13]

Voters

The government introduced Universal suffrage in 1991, granting Samoan citizens aged 21 and older the right to vote. Voters could elect to enrol in a constituency rather than the one where they reside by right of significant family ties or matai titles. As a result, the population of constituencies and the constituency's voter roll have not always correlated.[15] Cabinet amended the 1963 electoral act in August 2000, establishing the register of voters as a separate entity from the legislative assembly. The 2001 election was the first in which it was compulsory for all eligible individuals to register to vote. The new register of voters commenced the enrollment of electors in October 2000. There were only two registration centres where individuals could enrol or update their details, with one each at Mulinu'u on Upolu and Savai’i. Due to the centres being severely understaffed, the process was reportedly chaotic, with long queues, and many voters waited for several hours. One person died while in line, and several fights broke out due to discontent over the process. As a result, health minister Misa Telefoni Retzlaff unsuccessfully called for the election's postponement. At the closure of voter registration on 19 January 2001, a total of 92,788 voters were registered.[16]

Overseas voting

Although more Samoans resided outside Samoa than in the country around the time of the election, the HRPP government refused to entertain overseas voting. Prime Minister Tuila‘epa expressed his opposition to allowing "outsiders" to participate in the electoral process and said that "they (Samoans abroad) don’t understand, and they don’t feel the pain serving Samoa day in and day out." The prime minister also stated that if overseas ballots were allowed, "Parliament might as well be moved from Mulinu'u to Canberra." The opposition leader Tui Ātua Tupua Tamasese Efi, opposed the government's decision due to the Samoan diaspora's significant contribution to the economy through remittance funds.[17]

Schedule

On the advice of the prime minister, the O le Ao o le Malo (head of state), Malietoa Tanumafili II, signed a declaration on 22 January 2001, ordering the dissolution of the 12th Parliament, which went into effect the following day. Voter registration closed on 19 January. The O le Ao o le Malo issued the writ for the election on 30 January. The deadline for candidates to register or withdraw was on 16 February, and the return of the writ occurred on 18 March.[16][18]

Date Event
19 January Registration for voters closes
23 January The 12th Parliament is dissolved
30 January O le Ao o le Malo issues Writ for the election
16 February Candidate nominations close
2 March Election day
18 March Writ for the election returned

Campaign

A total of four parties contested the election: the HRPP, SNDP, the Samoan United People's Party and the Samoa All People's party.[5]

Party manifestos rarely featured in previous elections; however, the 2001 poll saw an increased presence of political manifestos. Both the HRPP and SNDP published one, and it was the first election in which the HRPP had a clearly defined platform. Despite this, public engagement with the party platforms was low, and some voters reported that the manifestos were not widely available. Many candidates chose to campaign on their record and what they aimed to accomplish as individuals if elected, and often did not make mention of their party's policies or their party affiliation altogether. Significant issues of concern among voters included infrastructure, rural development, healthcare and education.[19]

The HRPP campaigned on increasing foreign aid to improve the country's infrastructure. The party also announced its intentions to boost the economy and improve the health and education sectors. Prime minister Tuilaʻepa claimed that the opposition SNDP could not provide a credible alternative to the HRPP and the Samoan people.[20][21] The SNDP platform focused on reforming the government and ceasing corruption. Opposition leader Tui Ātua and the party proposed the establishment of a special task force to end corruption within the government and that independent commissions of inquiry investigate government scandals, including the illegal sale of Samoan passports to citizens of China and Taiwan which surfaced in 1997, and the controversial dismissal of Chief Auditor Su‘a Rimoni.[5][21][22] The opposition leader blamed the HRPP administration for the mishandling of the state-owned Polynesian Airlines, which he claimed led to an increase in the nation's debt. The party carried out weekly press conferences criticising the government. Tuilaʻepa predicted that the HRPP would retain power.[21]

Results

The final results showed no party obtained a majority; the HRPP won a plurality of 23 seats. The SNDP won 13 seats, one SUPP member was elected, and independents secured 12 seats.[5] One candidate was elected unopposed,[23] and only three seats were won by women, whilst two cabinet ministers lost re-election.[24]

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Human Rights Protection Party34,26244.8223–1
Samoan National Development Party17,96623.5013+2
Samoan United People's Party[lower-alpha 1]1,8982.481New
Samoa All People's Party100.010New
Independents22,31529.1912–1
Total76,451100.00490
Valid votes76,45199.53
Invalid/blank votes3600.47
Total ballots cast–
Registered voters/turnout92,791–
Source: Nohlen et al.

Aftermath

Following the election, four independents joined the HRPP, permitting it to remain in government. Three of these new HRPP members had pledged to join the party if they were victorious, while one had intended to join whichever party won the most seats.[16][26] Shortly after, health minister and former attorney-general Misa Telefoni Retzlaff was elected deputy leader of the HRPP by party members and subsequently became deputy prime minister. Both positions had been vacant since Tuila‘epa assumed office as prime minister in 1998. Tuila‘epa expressed that the appointment undercut rumours that Misa intended to leave the HRPP and form a new opposition party. Five cabinet ministers lost reelection.[27][28]

Following the election, the opposition SNDP demanded a second recount in 20 constituencies. They claimed that the initial vote tally and the original recount were flawed.[29][30] Tui Ātua Tupua Tamasese Efi resigned as leader of both the opposition and the SNDP. Le Mamea Ropati MP for Lefaga & Falese'ela replaced him.[28][31]

The O le Ao o le Malo, Malietoa Tanumafili II, officially opened the 13th parliamentary session on 19 March 2001.[28]

Notes

  1. ↑ Parties in parliament are required to have at least 8 seats in order to attain recognition. Because the SUPP fell short of this quota, the party's sole MP was classified as an independent.[25]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume II, p782 ISBN 0-19-924959-8
  2. ↑ "TUILAEPA AND TUIATUA RE-ELECTED IN SAMOA ELECTION". Pacific Islands Report. 4 March 2001. Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  3. ↑ So'o, Asofou (2002). "Samoa in Review: Issues and Events, 1 July 2000 to 30 June 2001". The Contemporary Pacific. 14 (1): 224. doi:10.1353/cp.2002.0032. S2CID 258106327. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  4. ↑ "Election Guide". Archived from the original on 11 September 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "SAMOA Parliamentary Chamber: Fono - Legislative Assembly". IPU. Archived from the original on 17 February 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  6. ↑ "General Elections 1991, 1996 & 2001 Report" (PDF). Samoan Chief Electoral Officer. 27 November 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 October 2006. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  7. ↑ "Constitution Amendment Act (No 1) 1997". Samoa Sessional Legislation. Pacific Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  8. ↑ Ah Chong v Legislative Assembly of Western Samoa, [1996] WSCA 2 (17 September 1996) ("The plaintiff in the Supreme Court proceedings from which this appeal arises was appointed in March 1992 (the date given in his statement of claim) as Controller and Chief Auditor in the service of Western Samoa. ... The plaintiff was about 38 years of age at the time of his appointment.").
  9. ↑ "Former Samoan auditor general aims to lead new party into parliament". RNZ. 20 September 2005. Archived from the original on 7 June 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  10. ↑ "AMERICAN SAMOA CONCERN OVER WESTERN SAMOA'S NAME CHANGE TO SAMOA". Pacific Islands Report. 31 July 1997. Archived from the original on 11 September 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  11. ↑ "Samoan History". U.S. Embassy in Samoa. Archived from the original on 13 May 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  12. ↑ "SAMOA'S TOFILAU DIES". Pacific Islands Report. 22 March 1999. Archived from the original on 29 June 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  13. 1 2 "Electoral System". IPU. Archived from the original on 30 January 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  14. ↑ Asofou Soʻo 1993, p. 3.
  15. ↑ Haley, Nicole; Ng Shiu, Roannie; Baker, Kerryn; Zubrinich, Kerry; Carter, Salā George (August 2017). 2016 Samoa General Election (PDF) (Report). Australian National University. pp. 19, 22. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  16. 1 2 3 Asofou Soʻo 2002, pp. 225–227.
  17. ↑ Asofou Soʻo 2002, p. 227.
  18. ↑ Fetuao Toia Alama 2003, pp. 5–6.
  19. ↑ Leatuaolevao Ruby Vaa 2006, pp. 73, 74, 110.
  20. ↑ Leatuaolevao Ruby Vaa 2006, p. 137.
  21. 1 2 3 "Samoans Gearing Up for Friday Election". Pacific Islands Report. 1 March 2001. Archived from the original on 27 September 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  22. ↑ Leatuaolevao Ruby Vaa 2006, p. 138.
  23. ↑ Adam Carr. "Parliamentary Elections of 2001". psephos.adam-car.net. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  24. ↑ Leatuaolevao Ruby Vaa 2006, p. 86.
  25. ↑ Fetuao Toia Alama 2003, p. 50.
  26. ↑ "HRPP Reclaims Control of Samoa Government, Tuilaepa Still Prime Minister". Pacific Islands Report. 16 March 2001. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  27. ↑ "Samoa's Tuilaepa Returns as HRPP Leader; Misa Elected Deputy Leader". Pacific Islands Report. 14 March 2001. Archived from the original on 21 November 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  28. 1 2 3 "Misa becomes new Minister of Finance". Samoa Observer. 20 March 2001. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020.
  29. ↑ "Samoa Opposition Allegdes Foul Play in Election Vote Recount". Pacific Islands Report. 16 March 2001. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  30. ↑ "Samoa Opposition Claims Voting Irregularities". Pacific Islands Report. 15 March 2021. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  31. ↑ "Now Another Opposition Leader in Samoa". Pacific Islands Report. 21 March 2001. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2021.

Bibliography

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