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GOVERNMENT OF SAMOA
Samoa is a parliamentary republic. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Names of the Country: Official Name: Independent State of Samoa; conventional short form: Samoa; local long form: Malo Sa'oloto Tuto'atasi o Samoa; local short form: Samoa; Former name: Western Samoa. The meaning of Samoa is disputed; some modern explanations are that the "sa" connotes "sacred" and "moa" indicates "center," so the name can mean "Holy Center"; alternatively, some assertions state that it can mean "place of the sacred moa bird" of Polynesian mythology; the name, however, may go back to Proto-Polynesian (PPn) times (before 1000 B.C.); a plausible PPn reconstruction has the first syllable as "sa'a" meaning "tribe or people" and "moa" meaning "deep sea or ocean" to convey the meaning "people of the deep sea". [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Capital: Apia: Geographic Coordinates: 13 49 S, 171 46 W. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Administrative Divisions: 11 districts; A'ana, Aiga-i-le-Tai, Atua, Fa'asaleleaga, Gaga'emauga, Gagaifomauga, Palauli, Satupa'itea, Tuamasaga, Va'a-o-Fonoti, Vaisigano. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Independence: 1 January 1962 (from New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship). National Holiday: Independence Day Celebration, 1 June (1962); note: 1 January 1962 is the date of independence from the New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship, but it is observed in June. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
National Symbols of Samoa
Flag: red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant bearing five white, five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross constellation; red stands for courage, blue represents freedom, and white signifies purity. note: similar to the flag of Taiwan. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
National Symbols: Southern Cross constellation (five, five-pointed stars); national colors: red, white, blue
National Anthem: name: "O le Fu'a o le Sa'olotoga o Samoa" (The Banner of Freedom), lyrics/music: Sauni Liga KURESA. It was adopted in 1962; also known as "Samoa Tula'i" (Samoa Arise)
Constitution and Legal System of Samoa
Constitution: several previous (preindependence); latest 1 January 1962. Amendments: proposed as an act by the Legislative Assembly; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly membership in the third reading: provided at least 90 days have elapsed since the second reading, and assent of the chief of state; passage of amendments affecting constitutional articles on customary land or constitutional amendment procedures also requires at least two-thirds majority approval in a referendum; amended several times, last in 2020. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Legal System: mixed legal system of English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of the citizen. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
International Law Organization Participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Citizenship: Citizenship by Birth: no; Citizenship by Descent Only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Samoa; Dual Citizenship Recognized: no; Residency Requirement for Naturalization: 5 years. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Executive Branch of Samoa
Chief of State: TUIMALEALI'IFANO Va’aletoa Sualauvi II (since 21 July 2017)
Head of Government: Prime Minister FIAME Naomi Mata’afa (since 24 May 2021). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the chief of state on the prime minister's advice. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Executive Branch Elections and Appointments: chief of state indirectly elected by the Legislative Assembly to serve a 5-year term (2-term limit); election last held on 23 August 2022 (next to be held in 2027); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually appointed prime minister by the chief of state, approved by the Legislative Assembly
Results of the Last Election: TUIMALEALI'IFANO Va’aletoa Sualauvi unanimously reelected by the Legislative Assembly on 23 August 2022. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Legislative Branch of Samoa
Samoa has a unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fono (53 seats for 2021-2026 term); members from 51 single-seat constituencies directly elected by simple majority vote, with a minimum 10 percent representation of women in the Assembly required; members serve 5-year terms)
elections:election last held on 9 April 2021 (next election to be held in 2026)
Results of the Last Legislative Election (percent of vote by party): HRPP 55 percent, FAST 37 percent, TSP 3 percent, independents 5 percent; seats by party – FAST 30, HRPP 22, independents 1; composition: men 47, women 6, percent of women 11.3 percent note: on 29 November 2021, the Election Commissioner added two women seats to parliament, bringing the HRPP’s total from 20 to 22 seats
Judicial Branch of Samoa
Highest Court: Court of Appeal (consists of the chief justice and 2 Supreme Court judges and meets once or twice a year); Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and several judges)
Judge Selection and Term of Office for the Highest Court: chief justice appointed by the chief of state upon the advice of the prime minister; other Supreme Court judges appointed by the Judicial Service Commission, a 3-member body chaired by the chief justice and includes the attorney general and an appointee of the Minister of Justice; judges normally serve until retirement at age 68. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Subordinate Courts: District Court; Magistrates' Courts; Land and Titles Courts; village fono or village chief councils
Elections and Political Parties of Samoa
Voting Age: 21 years of age; universal. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Election last held on 9 April 2021 (next election to be held in 2026)
Political Parties in Samoa )
Fa'atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi or FAST led by FIAME Naomi Mata'afa
Human Rights Protection Party or HRPP led by TUILA'EPA Sailele Malielegaoi
Tautua Samoa Party or TSP led by Afualo Wood Uti SALELE. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Government Spending, Taxes and Revenues
Government Budget: revenues: $313 million (2020 estimate)
expenditures: $263 million (2020 estimate)
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)
-4.7 percent (of GDP) (2017 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 166. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Public Debt: 49.1 percent of GDP (2017 estimate)
52.6 percent of GDP (2016 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 108. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Taxes: 24.42 percent (of GDP) (2020 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 55. [Source: CIA World Factbook, 2023]
Military and International Relations of Samoa
Military and Security Forces: no regular military forces; Samoa Police Force (Ministry of Police, Prisons, and Correction Services) (2023). Informal defense ties exist with New Zealand, which is required to consider any Samoan request for assistance under the 1962 Treaty of Friendship
Samoa has a "shiprider" agreement with the US, which allows local maritime law enforcement officers to embark on US Coast Guard (USCG) and US Navy (USN) vessels, including to board and search vessels suspected of violating laws or regulations within Somoa's designated exclusive economic zone (EEZ) or on the high seas; "shiprider" agreements also enable USCG personnel and USN vessels with embarked USCG law enforcement personnel to work with host nations to protect critical regional resources (2023)
International Organization That It Participates In: ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Image Sources:
Text Sources: CIA World Factbook, 2023; “Encyclopedia of World Cultures, Volume 2: Oceania,” edited by Terence E. Hays, 1991, Wikipedia, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Times of London, Lonely Planet Guides, Library of Congress, The Guardian, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, The New Yorker, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, BBC, CNN, and various books, websites and other publications.
Last updated August 2023