Prime Minister of Samoa

The prime minister of Samoa is the head of government of the Independent State of Samoa, a sovereign country located in the Pacific Ocean.

Prime Minister of the
Independent State of
Samoa
Palemia o le Malo Tuto‘atasi o Samoa
Coat of arms of
the Independent State
of Samoa
Incumbent
Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi
since 23 November 1998
StatusHead of Government
Member ofLegislative Assembly of Samoa, Cabinet of Samoa
SeatApia
AppointerO le Ao o le Malo of Samoa
(Head of State)
Term lengthFive years,
renewable indefinitely
Constituting instrumentConstitution of Samoa
PrecursorLeader of Government Business
Inaugural holderFiamē Matā'afa Fiame Mulinu'u II
Formation22 May 1875
DeputyFiame Naomi Mata’afa
Salary78,000 USD annually[1]
Website
Samoa
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Samoa
Constitution

History of the office

Colonial period

The first prime minister during the colonial period was Albert Barnes Steinberger, who originally represented the American government in the Samoan Islands but was close to German commercial interests. After the indigenous authorities of the islands adopted the Constitution of 1873, Steinberger was appointed Prime Minister by King Malietoa Laupepa in July 1875. He held this post for seven months before the British and American consuls in the country persuaded Laupepa to dismiss him, seeing his role as German interference in the islands. Over the next two decades, there was no prime minister in the country, and in 1899 Samoa fell under the colonial rule of the Western powers, being divided as a German colony and an American colony at the end of the Second Samoan Civil War, according to the terms of the Tripartite Convention.[2]

At the beginning of the World War I, German Samoa was occupied by New Zealand in 1914, and was subsequently organized as a trust territory of New Zealand in 1920.

Post-independence period

The territory gained independence in 1962 as the Independent State of Western Samoa. The Constitution, adopted in 1960 during the transitional period of autonomy, provides that the executive power is vested in the head of state (O le Ao o le Malo), elected by the Legislative Assembly, and who acts only on the recommendation of the government. The head of state has royal assent powers to sign bills into law and dissolve Parliament. Executive power is exercised by the prime minister and his cabinet. The prime minister is appointed by the head of state as a member of the Legislative Assembly who enjoys the confidence of a majority in the Legislative Assembly (Article 32 (2) (a)). The prime minister may be removed from office by the Legislative Assembly (Article 33 (1) (b)). Samoa is thus a parliamentary democracy based on the Westminster system.[3]

List of prime ministers
Political parties
  Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP)
Other factions
  Independent
Symbols
  Denotes acting Prime Minister

† Died in office

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)		 Election Term of office Political party O le Ao o le Malo
(Head of state)
Took office Left office Time in office
1 Albert Barnes Steinberger
(1840–1894)		 — 22 May 1875 8 February 1876 262 days Independent Laupepa
Post abolished (8 February 1876 – 1 October 1959)
2 Mata'afa Mulinu'u II
(1921–1975)		 1961
1964
1967		 1 October 1959 25 February 1970 10 years, 147 days Independent Meaʻole
Tanumafili II
3 Tupua Tamasese Lealofi IV
(1922–1983)		 1970 25 February 1970 20 March 1973 3 years, 23 days Independent Tanumafili II
(2) Mata'afa Mulinu'u II
(1921–1975)		 1973 20 March 1973 20 May 1975† 2 years, 61 days Independent Tanumafili II
— Tupua Tamasese Lealofi IV
(1922–1983)		 — 21 May 1975 24 March 1976 308 days Independent Tanumafili II
4 Tufuga Efi
(1938–)		 1976
1979
1982		 24 March 1976 13 April 1982 6 years, 20 days Independent Tanumafili II
5 Va'ai Kolone
(1911–2001)		 — 13 April 1982 18 September 1982 158 days HRPP Tanumafili II
(4) Tufuga Efi
(1938–)		 — 18 September 1982 31 December 1982 104 days Independent Tanumafili II
6 Tofilau Eti Alesana
(1924–1999)		 1985 31 December 1982 30 December 1985 2 years, 364 days HRPP Tanumafili II
(5) Va'ai Kolone
(1911–2001)		 1988 30 December 1985 8 April 1988 2 years, 100 days HRPP Tanumafili II
(6) Tofilau Eti Alesana
(1924–1999)		 1991
1996		 8 April 1988 23 November 1998 10 years, 229 days HRPP Tanumafili II
7 Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi
(1945–)		 2001
2006
2011
2016		 23 November 1998 Incumbent 21 years, 267 days HRPP Tanumafili II
Tufuga Efi
Va'aletoa Sualauvi II


Living former prime ministers

As of August 2020 there is only one former living Samoan prime minister, as seen below.

  • Living former Prime Minister(s) of Samoa
  • Tufuga Efi
    served 1976–1982
    Born 1938 (age 82)

See also

Notes

    References
    1. Hill, Bruce (28 September 2016). "Samoan leaders salaries published by newspaper". ABC Radio Australia.
    2. Malama Meleisea, Lagaga: A Short History of Western Samoa, Apia, University of the South Pacific, 1987, ISBN 982-02-0029-6, pp.83-85
    3. Constitution of Samoa

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