Fono
Encyclopedia
The Legislative Assembly is the Parliament
of Samoa
based in the capital Apia where the country's central administration is situated.
In the Samoan language
, the Legislative Assembly of Samoa is sometimes referred to as the Samoan Fono while the government of the country is referred to as the Malo.
The word fono is a Samoan and Polynesian term for councils or meetings great and small and applies to national assemblies and legislatures, as well as local village councils.
The modern government of Samoa exists on a national level alongside the country's fa'amatai
indigenous chiefly system of governance and social organisation.
(traditional heads of families), elected in six two-seat and 35 single-seat constituencies. The other 2 Members are elected by, and represent, individual voters, i.e. "Samoan citizens descended from non-Samoans".
Members of Parliament in Samoa are directly elected by universal suffrage, and serve a five year term.
is elected for a five year term by the Fono.
. In addition, two seats are reserved for "individual voters", non-indigenous citizens who may not hold a chiefly title or any customary interest in Samoan land.
Electors must be Samoan citizens and aged over 21. Candidates must be qualified as electors, and in addition those for territorial seats must hold a matai title.
, the Samoan head of state.
.
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
of Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
based in the capital Apia where the country's central administration is situated.
In the Samoan language
Samoan language
Samoan Samoan Samoan (Gagana Sāmoa, is the language of the Samoan Islands, comprising the independent country of Samoa and the United States territory of American Samoa. It is an official language—alongside English—in both jurisdictions. Samoan, a Polynesian language, is the first language for most...
, the Legislative Assembly of Samoa is sometimes referred to as the Samoan Fono while the government of the country is referred to as the Malo.
The word fono is a Samoan and Polynesian term for councils or meetings great and small and applies to national assemblies and legislatures, as well as local village councils.
The modern government of Samoa exists on a national level alongside the country's fa'amatai
Fa'amatai
Fa'amatai is the chiefly system of Samoa, central to the organization of Samoan society.It is the traditional indigenous form of governance in the Samoa Islands, comprising American Samoa and the Independent State of Samoa...
indigenous chiefly system of governance and social organisation.
History
The Samoan Fono is descended from the Western Samoa Legislative Assembly established under New Zealand rule in the early 1900s. On the country's political independence in 1962, the 5th Legislative Assembly became the 1st Samoan Parliament.Members of Parliament
The Samoan Fono has 49 Members of Parliament. 47 members are mataiFa'amatai
Fa'amatai is the chiefly system of Samoa, central to the organization of Samoan society.It is the traditional indigenous form of governance in the Samoa Islands, comprising American Samoa and the Independent State of Samoa...
(traditional heads of families), elected in six two-seat and 35 single-seat constituencies. The other 2 Members are elected by, and represent, individual voters, i.e. "Samoan citizens descended from non-Samoans".
Members of Parliament in Samoa are directly elected by universal suffrage, and serve a five year term.
Head of State
The Head of State or O le Ao o le MaloO le Ao o le Malo
O le Ao o le Malo is the Samoan head of state, which is the title's rough translation....
is elected for a five year term by the Fono.
Elections
Elections are held under a simple plurality system. Samoan electors are divided into six two-seat and 35 single-seat constituenciesElectoral Constituencies of Samoa
The Fono Aoao Faitulafono of Samoa has 49 members. Of these, 47 are elected from 41 territorial constituencies based on traditional districts. Two members are elected...
. In addition, two seats are reserved for "individual voters", non-indigenous citizens who may not hold a chiefly title or any customary interest in Samoan land.
Electors must be Samoan citizens and aged over 21. Candidates must be qualified as electors, and in addition those for territorial seats must hold a matai title.
Other functions
The fono is responsible for electing the O le Ao o le MaloO le Ao o le Malo
O le Ao o le Malo is the Samoan head of state, which is the title's rough translation....
, the Samoan head of state.
Terms of the Fono
The Fono is currently in its 14th term.| Term | Elected in | Government |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Legislative Assembly | 1948 election Samoan general election, 1948 General elections were held in Samoa on 3 April 1948, the first to the new Legislative Assembly. The Assembly consisted of 12 Samoans elected by the Fono of Faipule, and five Europeans, elected by European voters.... |
No parties |
| 2nd Legislative Assembly | 1951 election | No parties |
| 3rd Legislative Assembly | 1954 election | No parties |
| 4th Legislative Assembly | 1957 election | No parties |
| 5th Legislative Assembly / 1st Parliament | 1961 election | No parties |
| 2nd Parliament | 1964 election Samoan general election, 1964 General elections were held in Samoa on 4 April 1964. 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.-Results:... |
No parties |
| 3rd Parliament | 1967 election Samoan general election, 1967 General elections were held in 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... |
No parties |
| 4th Parliament | 1970 election Samoan general election, 1970 General elections were held in Samoa on 7 February 1970. 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, Tupua Tamasese Lealofi IV became Prime Minister.-Results:... |
No parties |
| 5th Parliament | 1973 election Samoan general election, 1973 General elections were held in 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 Faumuina Mulinu'u II became Prime... |
No parties |
| 6th Parliament | 1976 election Samoan general election, 1976 General elections were held in 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, Tufuga Efi became Prime Minister.-Results:... |
No parties |
| 7th Parliament | 1979 election Samoan general election, 1979 General elections were held in 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 Tufuga Efi as Prime... |
No parties |
| 8th Parliament | 1982 election Samoan general election, 1982 General elections were held in Samoa on 27 February 1982. Voting was restricted to Matai and citizens of European origin , with the Matai electing 45 MPs and Europeans two. The result was a victory for the Human Rights Protection Party, which won 24 seats. Its leader, Va'ai Kolone, was appointed... |
Human Rights Protection Party Human Rights Protection Party The Human Rights Protection Party is a Samoan political party. It has been the dominant party in Samoan politics since 1982.The party was co-founded in May 1979 by Va'ai Kolone and Tofilau Eti Alesana in opposition to the government of Tupuola Efi... |
| 9th Parliament | 1985 election Samoan general election, 1985 General elections were held in Samoa on 22 February 1985. Voting was restricted to Matai and citizens of European origin , with the Matai electing 45 MPs and Europeans two. The result was a victory for the Human Rights Protection Party, which won 32 seats... |
Human Rights Protection Party Human Rights Protection Party The Human Rights Protection Party is a Samoan political party. It has been the dominant party in Samoan politics since 1982.The party was co-founded in May 1979 by Va'ai Kolone and Tofilau Eti Alesana in opposition to the government of Tupuola Efi... / Christian Democratic Party (Samoa) Christian Democratic Party (Samoa) The Christian Democratic Party was a political party in Samoa. The party was founded in February 1985 by the supporters of former Prime Minister Tupuola Taisi Tufuga Efi... |
| 10th Parliament | 1988 election Samoan general election, 1988 General elections were held in Samoa on 26 February 1988. Voting was restricted to Matai and citizens of European origin , with the Matai electing 45 MPs and Europeans two. Although the Human Rights Protection Party received more than double the number of votes of the Coalition of the Christian... |
Human Rights Protection Party Human Rights Protection Party The Human Rights Protection Party is a Samoan political party. It has been the dominant party in Samoan politics since 1982.The party was co-founded in May 1979 by Va'ai Kolone and Tofilau Eti Alesana in opposition to the government of Tupuola Efi... |
| 11th Parliament | 1991 election Samoan general election, 1991 General elections were held in Samoa on 5 April 1991. Following a referendum the previous year, they were the first under universal suffrage, although candidates still had to be members of the Matai. The result was a victory for the Human Rights Protection Party, which won 27 of the 47... |
Human Rights Protection Party Human Rights Protection Party The Human Rights Protection Party is a Samoan political party. It has been the dominant party in Samoan politics since 1982.The party was co-founded in May 1979 by Va'ai Kolone and Tofilau Eti Alesana in opposition to the government of Tupuola Efi... |
| 12th Parliament | 1996 election Samoan general election, 1996 General elections were held in Samoa on 26 April 1996. The result was a victory for the Human Rights Protection Party, which won 24 of the 49 seats. The Samoan National Development Party won 11 seats, the Samoa Liberal Party 1, and independents 13. Following the elections, the 12th Samoan... |
Human Rights Protection Party Human Rights Protection Party The Human Rights Protection Party is a Samoan political party. It has been the dominant party in Samoan politics since 1982.The party was co-founded in May 1979 by Va'ai Kolone and Tofilau Eti Alesana in opposition to the government of Tupuola Efi... |
| 13th Parliament | 2001 election Samoan general election, 2001 General elections were held in Samoa on 2 March 2001. They were won by the Human Rights Protection Party, which took 23 of the 49 seats. After the election, all 12 independent MPs joined the HRPP, giving it a majority in the Fono.-Results:... |
Human Rights Protection Party Human Rights Protection Party The Human Rights Protection Party is a Samoan political party. It has been the dominant party in Samoan politics since 1982.The party was co-founded in May 1979 by Va'ai Kolone and Tofilau Eti Alesana in opposition to the government of Tupuola Efi... |
| 14th Parliament 14th Samoan Parliament The 14th Samoan Parliament is a term of the Parliament of Samoa. It served from 2006 to 2011, and its composition was determined by the 2006 elections.... |
2006 election Samoan general election, 2006 General elections were held in Samoa on 31 March 2006. The result was a landslide victory for the Human Rights Protection Party, who took 30 of the 49 seats, and gained another five seats when independent MPs joined the party.-Detailed Results:Source:... |
Human Rights Protection Party Human Rights Protection Party The Human Rights Protection Party is a Samoan political party. It has been the dominant party in Samoan politics since 1982.The party was co-founded in May 1979 by Va'ai Kolone and Tofilau Eti Alesana in opposition to the government of Tupuola Efi... |
| 15th Parliament 15th Samoan Parliament The 15th Samoan Parliament is the current term of the Parliament of Samoa. Its composition was determined by the 2011 elections.The 15th Parliament consists of 49 representatives, elected from six two-seat and 35 single-seat territorial constituencies, and two non-territorial constituences... |
2011 election Samoan general election, 2011 A general election was held in Samoa on 4 March 2011, in which the people elected the 49 seats of the Fono for its 15th term. Unlike most neighbouring countries in the Pacific, Samoa has established party politics... |
Human Rights Protection Party Human Rights Protection Party The Human Rights Protection Party is a Samoan political party. It has been the dominant party in Samoan politics since 1982.The party was co-founded in May 1979 by Va'ai Kolone and Tofilau Eti Alesana in opposition to the government of Tupuola Efi... |
Building
The Fono is housed in a bee-hive shaped building based on the traditional Samoan faleArchitecture of Samoa
The architecture of Samoa is characterised by openness, with the design mirroring the culture and life of the Samoan people who inhabit the Samoa Islands. Architectural concepts are incorporated into Samoan proverbs, oratory and metaphors, as well as linking to other art forms in Samoa, such as...
.
See also
- Electoral Constituencies of SamoaElectoral Constituencies of SamoaThe Fono Aoao Faitulafono of Samoa has 49 members. Of these, 47 are elected from 41 territorial constituencies based on traditional districts. Two members are elected...
- List of Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa