Samoa
Country in the SW Pacific Ocean, in Polynesia, NE of Fiji.
Government
Samoa is an independent state within the Commonwealth. The 1960 constitution,
which went into effect 1962, provides for a parliamentary system
of government, with a constitutional head of state, a single-
chamber legislative assembly, the Fono, and a prime minister and
cabinet drawn from and responsible to the assembly. The head of
state is normally elected by the assembly for a five-year term,
but the present holder of the office has been elected for life.
The head of state appoints the prime minister and cabinet on the
basis of assembly support.
The Fono has 49 members, 47 directly elected, from 1991, by
universal suffrage - only members of the Matai (elected clan leaders)
are eligible to stand for election - and two non-Samoans elected
by people, mainly Europeans, who appear on the individual voters'
rolls. The Fono traditionally has a life of three years, but it
was extended to five years 1993. All political parties are personality-based
groupings.
History
The original inhabitants were Polynesians, and the first Europeans
to reach the island group of Samoa, 1722, were Dutch. In the 19th
century, Germany, the UK, and the USA had conflicting interests
in the islands and administered them jointly 1889-99, when they
were divided into American Samoa and Samoa. Samoa was a German
colony until World War I and from 1920 was administered by New
Zealand, first as a League of Nations mandate and from 1946 as
a United Nations trust territory.
Independence
Samoa was granted internal self- government gradually until it achieved
full independence, within the Commonwealth, 1 Jan 1962. The office
of head of state was held jointly by two traditional rulers, but
on the death of one of them, the other, Malietoa Tanumafili II,
became the sole head of state for life. The prime minister at
the time of independence was Fiame Mata Afa Mulinu'u. He lost
power 1970 but regained it 1973 until his death 1975. In 1976
the first prime minister who was not of royal blood was elected,
Tupuola Taisi Efi.
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