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| Constitution |
General elections were held in Western Samoa on 28 April 1948, [1] the first to the new Legislative Assembly. The United Citizens Party won four of the five directly elected seats.
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|---|
| Constitution |
General elections were held in Western Samoa on 28 April 1948, [1] the first to the new Legislative Assembly. The United Citizens Party won four of the five directly elected seats.
The new 26-member Legislative Assembly consisted of the Administrator, six civil servants, eleven Samoans appointed by the Fono of Faipule, three Fautua (Samoan chiefs) and five members directly elected by people with European status, [2] which included people of mixed European and Samoan descent. [1]
The European seats were contested between the United Citizens Party, which was formed at a meeting on 16 March and supported by prominent businessmen in Apia, and the Labour Party led by Amando Stowers. [1] Both parties nominated a full slate of five candidates, with the United Citizens Party holding a primary election to select its candidates after nine members put themselves forwards. [3]
The campaign included radio broadcasts, public meetings and leafleting. [3]
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Citizens Party | 2,259 | 63.01 | 4 | |
| Labour Party | 1,208 | 33.70 | 1 | |
| Independents | 118 | 3.29 | 0 | |
| Total | 3,585 | 100.00 | 5 | |
| Source: Pacific Islands Monthly | ||||
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eugene Paul | United Citizens Party | 568 | 15.84 | Elected | |
| Jacob Helg | United Citizens Party | 510 | 14.23 | Elected | |
| Fred Betham | United Citizens Party | 468 | 13.05 | Elected | |
| Amando Stowers | Labour Party | 436 | 12.16 | Re-elected | |
| Willie Stowers | United Citizens Party | 383 | 10.68 | Elected | |
| Arno Max Gurau | Labour Party | 342 | 9.54 | ||
| Sammy Meredith | United Citizens Party | 330 | 9.21 | ||
| Emil Fabricius | Labour Party | 226 | 6.30 | ||
| G.J. Pritchard | Labour Party | 129 | 3.60 | ||
| Percy Morgan | Independent | 118 | 3.29 | ||
| D. Crichton | Labour Party | 75 | 2.09 | ||
| Total | 3,585 | 100.00 | |||
| Source: Pacific Islands Monthly | |||||
A series of meetings was held in January 1948 to select the 11 Samoan representatives. However, the meetings were inconclusive, and instead a list of 31 names was given to the three fautua, Mataʻafa, Malietoa and Tamasese to choose from. [4] The choices were announced in mid-April. [3]
The new Legislative Assembly was opened on 2 June 1948 with a ceremony at Mulinuʻu involving the new national flag being formally raised for the first time. [6]
After the death of Fautua Mataʻafa Faumuina Fiame Mulinuʻu I in 1948, the Fono requested that they be allowed to elect a twelfth member to replace him. This was authorised by the Samoa Amendment Act 1949, and Gatoloai Peseta Sio was elected by the Fono to be the twelfth member on 1 April 1950. [7]
Fiamē Mataʻafa Faumuina Mulinuʻu II was a Western Samoan paramount chief and politician. The holder of the Mataʻafa title, one of the four main Samoan chieftainships, he became the first prime minister of Western Samoa in 1959, serving until 1970. He held the position again from 1973 until his death in 1975.
The prime minister of the Independent State of Samoa is the head of government of Samoa. The prime minister is a member of the Legislative Assembly, and is appointed by the O le Ao o le Malo for a five-year term. Since independence in 1962, a total of seven individuals have served as prime minister. The incumbent was disputed due to the 2021 constitutional crisis, when Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi refused to accept the results of the 2021 general election. On 23 July 2021, the Samoan Court of Appeal ruled that the Faʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party had been in government since 24 May. Tuilaʻepa then conceded defeat, resulting in FAST party leader Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa becoming prime minister.
Susuga Malietoa Tanumafili I was the Malietoa in Samoa from 1898 until his death in 1939. After the death of his father, Malietoa Laupepa, who was recognized as king of Samoa by many Western countries, Tanumafili was immediately crowned, with Tupua Tamasese Lealofi I serving as vice-king. Tanumafili was backed by the United States and United Kingdom, however Germany supported rebel chief Mata‘afa Iosefo who was eyeing the throne. The battle between the two made up the Second Samoan Civil War and in the end caused the Tripartite Convention that split the islands. After the war, Malietoa pursued education in Fiji and then came back to Samoa, where he was appointed as an advisor.
Mataʻafa Faumuina Fiame Mulinuʻu I was a high chief of Samoa and a leader of the country's pro-independence Mau movement during the 1920s and 1930s. He was the holder of high-ranking aliʻi chiefly titles: the Tamaʻāiga Mataʻafa, Fiame from Lotofaga and Faumuina from Lepea.
General elections were held in Western Samoa on 4 April 1964, the first since independence in 1962. All candidates ran as independents. Following the elections, Fiamē Mataʻafa Faumuina Mulinuʻu II remained prime minister.
General elections were held in Western Samoa on 25 February 1967. All candidates ran as independents and voting was restricted to Matai and citizens of European origin, with the Matai electing 45 MPs and Europeans two. Following the election, Fiame Mata'afa Faumuina Mulinu'u II remained Prime Minister.
General elections were held in Western Samoa on 7 February 1970. All candidates ran as independents, with voting restricted to matais and citizens of European origin, with the matais electing 45 MPs and Europeans two. Following the election, Tupua Tamasese Lealofi IV became prime minister.
General elections were held in Western Samoa on 1 November 1935.
The Fono of Faipule was a legislature in Western Samoa during the colonial era. It consisted of representatives (faipule) from each district.
General elections were held in Western Samoa on 13 April 1954.
General elections were held in Western Samoa on 27 April 1951. Although the 1948 elections had been fought by two political parties, the 1951 elections saw all candidates run as independents.
General elections were held in Western Samoa on 15 November 1957.
Molioʻo Pouli Setu was a Western Samoan chief and politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly between 1948 and 1951.
General elections were held in Western Samoa on 4 February 1961. They had originally been planned for November 1960, but were postponed by three months.
Tualaulelei Mauri was a Western Samoan chief and politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly between 1943 and 1961, and as Minister of Lands and Minister of Agriculture between 1956 and 1961.
Anapu Solofa was a Western Samoan chief and politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly and as Minister of Justice.
Eugene Friedrich Paul was a Western Samoan businessman and politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly in two spells between 1948 and 1961, was the first Leader of Government Business in 1958, and held the posts of Minister of Economic Development and Minister of Finance between 1957 and 1961.
Fonoti Matautia Ioane (John) Brown was a Western Samoan chief, businessman and politician. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly in two spells between 1948 and 1957, and held the portfolios of Agriculture and Health.
Faalavaau Galu was a Western Samoan chief and politician. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly from 1957 until 1973, and served as Minister for the Post Office, Radio and Broadcasting between 1957 and 1970.
Gatoloaifaana Peseta Siaosi Sio was a Western Samoan chief, musician, writer and politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly from 1950 to 1951, and again from 1954 to 1957.
