Ballot boxes for Samoa general election Photo: RNZ Pacific/Tipi Autagavaia
With just weeks to go until Samoa heads to the polls, election preparations are in full swing.
The country is going to an early election after parliament was dissolved in June.
After months of political instability and two motions of no confidence, Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa said she would call for the dissolution of parliament if Cabinet did not support her government's budget.
Electoral commissioner Toleafoa Tuiafelolo Alexander Stanley spoke to RNZ Pacific about the election process.
He said there are two levels to the objection and challenge process.
When the window for objections closed, there was one voter objection from Falealupo, a village in Savai'i, and 11 candidate objections, he said.
"The objections focus really on the monotaga, the eligibility criteria for monotaga," Toleafoa said.
"Under the law, you have to do your monotaga every three years."
The Samoa Observer later reported two candidate challenges had been withdrawn, leaving nine to go to court.
Under the Electoral Act 2019, a person who wishes to contest an election has to be "a holder of a registered matai title for a consecutive three years ending on lodgement day for the Constituency the person intends to represent; and has rendered a monotaga in respect of the registered matai title within a village in a constituency which the person intends to run as a candidate; and for a consecutive three year ending on the lodgement day".
They also must be a Samoa citizen, a registered voter of a constituency, and have resided in the country for at least three years in a row ending on lodgement day.
Toleafoa said all the statutory declarations are completed in front of their lawyers before it comes to the Office of the Electoral Commission.
"Our job is just to check if all the boxes have been ticked and filled in correctly, and that's where we approve the person to be eligible to be contesting election," he said.
"But then again, that's the process that goes through the court, and their lawyers will also represent each candidate, as well as the matais who signed it, and that will be determined by the court if it's legitimate."
Decisions on the objections taken to court must be issued on or before 15 August.
After the election
Once the election is over and the results are announced, challenges can be presented in the form of election petitions.
Petitions must be filed within 10 working days after results are declared.
Toleafoa said the Commission is prepared.
"There will be challenges after the election as well, but we are all prepared for that.
"But we just hope that our election will be smooth for the general elections, and... hopefully there won't be as many petitions after that as well."
190 candidates to run
Toleafoa confirmed 190 candidates will contest the upcoming general election, slightly up from the 187 who ran in 2021.
Of those confirmed, 24 are women, including caretaker Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa, who is seeking re-election in her Lotofaga constituency.
The highest number of candidates in any one constituency is six, while the lowest is two.
All three current parliamentary party leaders - Fiame, La'auli Leuatea Schmidt, and Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi - will stand again.
Fiame is contesting under the Samoa Uniting Party (SUP), a newly formed political group that emerged following a factional split from the FAST party.
La'auli now leads FAST, while Tuilaepa remains as the leader of Samoa's longest-serving political party, HRPP.
The campaign period runs until 24 August.
