After months of constitutional stalemate, Fiame Naomi Mata’afa has prevailed. But her predecessor remains in parliament, and his power base will present a major challenge for her leadership.
Samoa’s Prime Minister-elect Fiame Naomi Mata'afa takes her oath at an unofficial ceremony outside parliament house in Apia, May 24.
AAP
Samoa’s Supreme Court has had a bet each way to resolve the country’s election stalemate, but the odds are still on a new prime minister within the week.
Prime Minister-elect Fiame Naomi Mata'afa talks to reporters outside parliament house in Apia, May 24.
AAP
Samoa’s constitutional crisis has caught the world’s attention, but diplomatic rhetoric may not be enough to support the country’s democratically elected government.
Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, during the Pacific Islands Forum in Apia, Samoa, in 2017.
Lukas Coch/AAP
Faculty Member, Asian Studies Program, Georgetown University; Visiting Fellow, Department of Pacific Affairs, Australian National University., Georgetown University