2016 Samoan general election
General elections were held in Samoa on 4 March 2016. The main contesting parties were that of incumbent Prime Minister Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi, of the Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP); and the Tautua Samoa Party (TSP). The HRPP secured a landslide victory, winning 35 of the 49 elected seats in the Legislative Assembly, while 12 independents subsequently joined them, strengthening Samoa's one-party rule and preventing the TSP from obtaining the eight seats required for recognition as a parliamentary party. Background. During the previous general election held in 2011, the ruling HRPP government was re -elected, winning 29 seats. The newly founded opposition Tautua Samoa Party secured 13 seats, and independents won the remaining seven. Following that election, several individuals lost their seats due to electoral petitions. One of these MPs was Tautua Samoa leader Va'ai Papu Vailupe; he was subsequently replaced as leader by deputy leader Palusalue Fa'apo II. Electoral system. The 49 members of the Fono were elected from 49 single-member constituencies. All seats were elected using first-past-the-post voting. Universal suffrage was introduced in 1990, permitting Samoan citizens over the age of 21 to vote in person. Candidates were  required to be at least 21 years of age, heads of their families and resident of the country for at least three years prior the nomination date. Civil servants and people with mental illness were ineligible to stand as candidates. People convicted for bribery or an electoral offense, and people given a prison sentence of more than two years (including the death sentence), were also ineligible. Around 116,000 electors were registered for the election. The Constitution Amendment Act 2013 ensures a minimum of 10 per cent of seats in parliament were reserved for women. Campaign. A total of 164 candidates  (24 women) contested the elections: 83 from HRPP, 23 from TSP and 60 independents. Four candidates including the prime minister and caretaker Minister of Justice, Fiamē Naomi Mataafa, were elected unopposed. Capital Radio Samoa predicted that the ruling party would win the elections. Conduct. Voting commenced at 8am () and closed at 15:00 on 4 March. A liquor ban was imposed with effect from the voting day and till 06:00 the next morning. No violence was reported during the voting. Results. The provisional results showed the ruling Human Rights Protection Party leading with 47 seats out of a maximum of  49. In the previous elections held in 2011, it won 36 seats and the Tautua Samoa Party emerged as the second largest party with 13 seats. The only non-HRPP winners in these elections were TSP deputy leader Aeau Peniamina and Ili Setefano Ta’ateo. A number of government ministers lost their seats to newcoming MPs, as did opposition leader Palusalue Fa’apo II. Prime Minister Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi thanked the citizens for "the overwhelming vote of confidence in our vision for [Samoa]". Four women MPs were elected and a fifth, the female candidate with the highest percentage of votes yet to  be elected, was added to meet the quota requirements of 10% female MPs. Independent Rosa Duffy-Stowers, who got the third highest vote share in the Gagaifomauga constituency, was selected increasing the parliament's strength to 50 members. Olo Fiti Vaai, independent MP for Salega East, pledged to join the TSP at the restart of parliament. By constituency. Uncontested. The following candidates were elected unopposed: Aftermath. Palusalue Fa’apo II blamed the Tautua Samoa Party’s landslide loss on vote-buying. The former shadow minister of finance Afualo Wood Salele shared this sentiment, claiming that candidates offered bags of rice and  other foods to voters. MP Olo Fiti Vaai requested that the HRPP consider lowering the seat quota for parties to attain recognition in parliament; members of the ruling party echoed this statement. With the absence of an official opposition, Tuila'epa instructed 19 HRPP caucus members who were not appointed associate ministers to play the role of the opposition along with the Tautua Samoa MPs. Prime minister Tuila'epa appointed seven new cabinet ministers. Although re-elected to parliament, deputy prime minister Fonotoe Pierre Lauofo was not reappointed to cabinet; he was previously fined for traffic offences in 2014. Fonotoe was replaced  by long-serving cabinet minister Fiamē Naomi Mata’afa, who became Samoa's first female deputy prime minister. The O le Ao o le Malo, Tui Ātua Tupua Tamasese Efi, officially opened the 16th parliamentary session on 18 March 2016.