Grace
Tinetali-Fiavaai, RNZ Pacific
Journalist
Samoa’s Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa
has announced she will seek a dissolution of parliament and
an early election.
Fiame, who has led a minority
government since being ousted from her former FAST party in
January, finally conceded defeat on the floor of parliament
on Tuesday morning after her government’s 2025 Budget was
voted down.
MPs from both the opposition Human Rights
Protection Party and Fiame’s former FAST party joined forces
to defeat the budget with the final vote coming in 34
against, 16 in support and 2 abstentions.
The decision
comes amid a period of political turmoil that kicked off
shortly after New Year’s.
A split in the FAST Party in
January saw Fiame remove FAST Party chairman La’auli Leuatea
Schmidt and several FAST ministers from her
Cabinet.
In turn, he ejected her from FAST, leaving
her isolated and leading a minority
government.
Earlier this year, over a two-week period,
Fiame and her minority government defeated two back-to-back
leadership challenges.
On 25 February, with La’auli’s
help, she defeated a no-confidence vote moved by Tuilaepa
Sailele Malielegaoi, 34 votes to 15.
Then on 6 March,
this time with Tuilaepa’s help, she defeated a challenge
mounted by La’auli, 32 votes to 19.
While in Aotearoa
last week, Fiame said the Pacific was facing a
tough time with geopolitics.
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She told Pacific
Waves that her focus was to complete her term.
“We
had two motions of no confidence. I have always said that
parliament would determine whether we remain in government
as a minority government, and it would appear that that is
still the status quo.”
She said at the time that the
budget this next week was going to be another usual
parliamentary issue that determines confidence.
“My
reading is no one really wants to go to an early election,”
she said.
“There are a few technical issues that would
make it difficult. The main one being that we are doing a
complete re-registration of the voters, and I think we are
not yet at 60
percent.”
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