The head of state, together with the Legislative Assembly, compose the Parliament. The matai titles are traditionally bestowed by extended family groups, or aiga , and there are about 20,000 people currently on the matai roll. Prior to the 1991 general election, constitutional changes were introduced following a plebiscite the year before which indicated broad support for universal suffrage of citizens twenty-one years or older. However, Assembly representatives are still restricted to matai title holders. The remaining two members of the Assembly are elected by citizens who are part-Samoan, of other races, or otherwise not members of an aiga .
All terms of office are for five years.
The judicial function is fulfilled by the Supreme Court, which is the superior court of record and has full jurisdiction in civil, criminal, and constitutional matters. A Court of Appeal and a Magistrate's Court have also been established and a Land and Titles Court is empowered to hear disputes over customary land and succession to matai titles. Western Samoa's politics has been fairly stormy in recent years. This marked the beginning of a period of unusual political instability as successive governments managed to hold office only for short periods. However, Kolone's victory was soon soured when the Supreme Court upheld a petition alleging electoral irregularities and declared his election invalid.