1979 Western Samoan general election

General election held in Western Samoa September 2021 1979 Western Samoan general election Western Samoa parliamentary no List of members of the Legislative Assembly of Western Samoa (1976–1979) List of members of the Legislative Assembly of Western Samoa (1979–1982) 1976 Western Samoan general election 1976 1982 Western Samoan general election 1982 All 47 seats in the Legislative Assembly 24 February 1979 Independents 47 seats 47 Prime Minister Subsequent Prime Minister Tupuola Efi Tupuola Efi Independent politician Independent politician General elections were held in Western Samoa on 24 February 1979. Voting was restricted to matai and citizens of European origin ("individual voters"), with the Matai electing 45 MPs and Europeans two.Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume II, p782 0-19-924959-8 Although all candidates ran as independents, an opposition bloc had emerged following the 1976 election of Tupuola Efi as Prime Minister in Parliament. Background Prior to the elections, around 1,500 matai had their titles removed by the registrar of the Land and Titles Court.W. Samoa: A matter of matai Pacific Islands Monthly, January 1979, p11 However, after intervention of head of state Malietoa Tanumafili II, the titles were restored. Around a week before the elections, the Department of the Prime Minister issued a statement stating that three MPs had been meeting with an American firm the government considered to be dishonest. The three MPs, Tofilau Eti Alesana, Fa'aso'otauloa Pualagi and Sala Suivai, later revealed themselves and claimed the issue was being used against them. Electoral system Voters elected the 47 members of parliament through the first-past-the-post voting system. Thirty-seven constituencies were represented in the legislature by a single seat, whilst four elected two candidates with their constituents casting two votes. Individual voters, primarily residents of European, Chinese or partial Samoan descent (half-caste), selected members for the other two seats. Reserved for half-caste and non-ethnic Samoans, the individual voters' constituency was nationwide. Except for the non-ethnic Samoan seats, candidates were required to hold a matai title to be eligible to contest the election, whilst non-matai were not permitted to vote.Va’a Leula Felise General Elections in Western Samoa, 1979-1982 Political Science 1983 35 1 78–102 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/003231878303500106 1 October 2022 subscription Routledge London 10.1177/003231878303500106 Results Of the 47 elected members, 26 were new to the Legislative Assembly. Incumbents losing their seats included Minister of Education Lilomaiava Niko.26 new faces in Apia's Fono Pacific Islands Monthly, April 1979, p25 Alesana, Pualagi and Suivai were all re-elected. Independents 10114 47 95   Total ballots cast 13863 Nohlen et al. Aftermath Although candidates who had pledged to elect Va'ai Kolone as Prime Minister won a majority of seats,Tupuola Efi under threat Pacific Islands Monthly, April 1979, p7 Tupuola Efi was re-elected as prime minister on 28 March, defeating Kolone by 24 votes to 23.Tupuola heeds a warning Pacific Islands Monthly, May 1979, p41 The same voting pattern occurred in the elections for Speaker and Deputy Speaker, with Tuuu Faletoese elected Speaker with 24 votes to the 23 received by Leota Ale and Aeau Taulupoo defeating Toleafoa Talitimu by the same margin for the deputy speakership.Apia's on the party line Pacific Islands Monthly, June 1979, p23 The opposition members formed the Human Rights Protection Party with Kolone as its leader. Efi cabinetPositionMinisterPrime MinisterTupuola EfiMinister of AgricultureSeumanu Aita Ah WaMinister of Economic DevelopmentLetiu TamatoaMinister of EducationFuimaono MimioMinister of FinanceVaovasamanaia FilipoMinister of HealthFaumuina AnapapaMinister of JusticeAsi EikeniMinister of Lands and SurveyLesatele RapiMinister of WorksSeuamuli Kurene In May Chief Justice Bryan Nicholson annulled the results in four constituencies due to bribery, with the four members – George Lober, Le Tagaloa Pita, Letiu Tamatoa (Minister of Economic Development) and Muliagatele Vena – losing their seats. Three of them (Lober, Tamatoa and) Vena were supporters of Efi. By-elections were held on 18 August, in which Lober and Tamatoa were re-elected, Vena lost his seat to Pule Lameko, but Pita was defeated by Efi supporter Mapuilesua Pelenato, giving Efi his 24–23 majority back.As you were in W Samoa? Pacific Islands Monthly, October 1979, p22 Following the loss of his majority, Efi avoided a potential vote of no confidence by not calling a parliamentary session until November.New politics in W. Samoa Pacific Islands Monthly, April 1980, p19 See also List of members of the Legislative Assembly of Western Samoa (1979–1982) References Western Samoa General Category:Elections in Samoa Category:Non-partisan elections Category:Election and referendum articles with incomplete results