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| Constitution |
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. [1]
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| Constitution |
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. [1]
The Legislative Assembly had 46 elected members, of which 41 were Samoans elected in single-member constituencies (with voting limited to matais, and five were Europeans elected form a single national constituency.
In 21 of the 41 Samoan constituencies there was only one candidate, who was returned unopposed, whilst two had no candidates. Elections went ahead in the remaining 18 constituencies, with by-elections held for the two vacant seats in March. [2]
Although the number of voters on the European roll dropped by around half compared to the 1957 elections, eight candidates contested the five available seats. [3]
| Candidate | Notes |
|---|---|
| Fred Betham | Re-elected |
| Arno Max Gurau | Elected |
| Hans Joachim Keil II | Re-elected |
| Frank Nelson | Re-elected |
| Peter Plowman | Re-elected |
| T.M. Allen | |
| William Betham | |
| Percy Morgan | |
| Source: Pacific Islands Monthly | |
Following the elections, petitions were submitted to the High Court regarding alleged malpractice in the Faasaleleaga I, Palaluli East, Faleata West and European constituencies. [2] The petition by losing candidate William Betham to have the European results annulled on the basis that 55 voters had been added to the voter roll after registration closed was dismissed, with the judge stating that it was not an irregularity and would not have affected the results. [4]
Former Minister of Agriculture Tualaulelei Mauri submitted a petition seeking to overturn his 46–42 vote defeat by Afoafouvale Misimoa in Palauli East, [4] where he claimed that a death oath had been placed on voters by a local chief if Misimoa was not elected. [5] However, his case was dismissed due to contradictory evidence. [4] The petition concerning the result in Faasaleleaga I (Magele Ate had been elected unopposed) was successful, with a by-election ordered for 10 June. [4]
A government was appointed by Prime Minister Fiame Mata'afa Faumuina Mulinu'u II. [6]
| Position | Minister |
|---|---|
| Minister for Agriculture | Asiata Lagolago |
| Minister for Education | Tuatagaloa Leutele Te'o |
| Minister for Finance | Fred Betham |
| Minister for Health | Tufuga Fatu |
| Minister of Justice | Anapu Solofa |
| Minister for Lands | To'omata Lilomaiava Tua |
| Minister for the Post Office, Radio and Broadcasting | Faalavaau Galu |
| Minister for Works | Frank Nelson |
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General elections were held in Fiji between 17 April and 4 May 1963. For the first time, women and indigenous Fijians were given the right to vote alongside the male European and Indo-Fijian population.
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General elections were held in Samoa on 4 March 2011, to determine the composition of the 15th Parliament. Two parties contested the election, the ruling Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP), which had been in power for most of the time since 1982, led by Prime Minister Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi and the newly founded Tautua Samoa Party (TSP) led by Vaʻai Papu Vailupe, which several minor parties had merged into. The election occurred following amendments to the electoral act in 2009, including the introduction of the Monotoga law, a requirement for aspiring candidates to dedicate traditional village service and commitments. As a result, three TSP aspiring candidates, including a challenger for the prime minister's seat, were disqualified by the Supreme Court for failing to satisfy this law.
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 24 February 1973. 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 became Prime Minister for a second term, having previously held the office between 1959 and 1970.
General elections were held in Western Samoa on 21 February 1976. 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, Tupuola Efi became Prime Minister.
General elections were held in Western Samoa on 24 February 1979. Voting was restricted to matai and citizens of European origin, with the Matai electing 45 MPs and Europeans two. Although all candidates ran as independents, an opposition bloc had emerged following the 1976 election of Tupuola Efi as Prime Minister in Parliament.
General elections were held in Western Samoa on 27 February 1982. The Human Rights Protection Party won 22 of the 47 seats in the Legislative Assembly and was able to form a government after three independents voted for its leader, Va'ai Kolone, in the vote for Prime Minister.
General elections were held in Samoa on 4 March 2016 to determine the composition of the 16th Parliament. Two parties contested the election, the ruling Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP), led by prime minister Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi which had been in government for most of the time since 1982 and the Tautua Samoa Party, led by opposition leader Palusalue Faʻapo II.
General elections were held in Western Samoa on 9 November 1932.
General elections were held in Western Samoa on 15 November 1957.
Constitutional Assembly elections were held in Western Samoa on 23 July 1960.
General elections were held in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea on 18 March 1961. Indigenous members were elected for the first time, although on an indirect basis. The territory's first political party, the United Progress Party, won three seats.
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.
General elections were held in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea between 15 February and 15 March 1964. They were the first elections in the territory held under universal suffrage. Voter turnout among enrolled voters was 65%.
Afioga Afoafouvale Misimoa, also known by his European name Harry William Moors, was a Western Samoan businessman and politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly in two spells between 1951 and 1967, and was the first Pacific Islander to become Secretary-General of the South Pacific Commission. He also founded the Samoa Rugby Union.
Afioga Lesatele Rapi was a Western Samoan chief and politician. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly and served in the cabinet three times between 1967 and his death.
