CIVICUS discusses Samoa’s recent election with Lucia S Chung Kwan, a history lecturer at the National University of Samoa.
Samoa held a snap general election on 29 August after the government collapsed when parliament rejected its budget. The vote was one of the country’s most competitive in years, with three main contenders offering different visions of Samoa’s future. Key voter concerns included rising costs of living and frequent power shortages. Election results saw the incumbent party retain power with a decisive majority under a new leader, ending the time in office of Samoa’s first female prime minister, Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa.