Tolofuaivalelei Falemoe Lei’ataua
Encyclopedia
Tolofuaivalelei Falemoe Lei’ataua is a Samoa
n politician and Speaker of the Samoan Legislative Assembly. He represents the A'ana Alofi No. 2 constituency, and is a member of the Human Rights Protection Party
.
Lei’ataua was first elected to Parliament in 1996
and served briefly as Minister of Posts Office and Telecommunications before losing his seat in September of that year. He was re-elected in the 2001 general election
and was appointed Deputy Speaker. In 2006 he became Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.
Lei’ataua's term as Speaker has been marked by battles to prevent the formation of parties to rival the HRRP. In 2009, following the formation of the Tautua Samoa Party
, he invoked anti-party-hopping laws to evict all nine of its members from the House. The MP's were later reinstated by the Supreme Court of Samoa. In 2010 passed new laws forbidding MPs from joining or declaring their support for political parties or organizations with political aims other than the party they were elected for. In March 2010 Speaker Lei’ataua invoked these laws to deprive three MPs of their seats for supporting Tautua 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...
n politician and Speaker of the Samoan Legislative Assembly. He represents the A'ana Alofi No. 2 constituency, and is a member of the 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...
.
Lei’ataua was first elected to Parliament in 1996
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...
and served briefly as Minister of Posts Office and Telecommunications before losing his seat in September of that year. He was re-elected in the 2001 general 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:...
and was appointed Deputy Speaker. In 2006 he became Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.
Lei’ataua's term as Speaker has been marked by battles to prevent the formation of parties to rival the HRRP. In 2009, following the formation of the Tautua Samoa Party
Tautua Samoa Party
Tautua Samoa is a political party in Samoa. The party's policies include economic development, particularly in the agricultural sector, public service reform, a limit on the number of Associate Ministers, and a reduction in the term of Parliament from 5 to 3 or 4 years...
, he invoked anti-party-hopping laws to evict all nine of its members from the House. The MP's were later reinstated by the Supreme Court of Samoa. In 2010 passed new laws forbidding MPs from joining or declaring their support for political parties or organizations with political aims other than the party they were elected for. In March 2010 Speaker Lei’ataua invoked these laws to deprive three MPs of their seats for supporting Tautua Samoa.
External links
- Profile at the Samoan Fono.