Samoa: Government#
| Country name | conventional long form: Independent State of Samoa conventional short form: Samoa local long form: Malo Sa'oloto Tuto'atasi o Samoa local short form: Samoa former: Western Samoa note: the name "Samoa" is composed of two parts, "sa" meaning sacred and "moa" meaning center, so the name can mean Holy Center; alternatively, it can mean "place of the sacred moa bird" of Polynesian mythology |
|---|---|
| Government type | parliamentary republic |
| Capital | Apia
Apia
geographic coordinates: 13 49 S, 171 46 W time difference: UTC+13 (18 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) +1hr, begins last Sunday in September; ends first Sunday in April |
| Administrative divisions | 11 districts; A'ana, Aiga-i-le-Tai, Atua, Fa'asaleleaga, Gaga'emauga, Gagaifomauga, Palauli, Satupa'itea, Tuamasaga, Va'a-o-Fonoti, Vaisigano |
| Independence | 1 January 1962 (from New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship) |
| National holiday | Independence Day Celebration, 1 June (1962); note - 1 January 1962 is the date of independence from the New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship; it is observed in June |
| Constitution | several previous (preindependence); latest 1 January 1962; amended several times, last in 2015 (2016) |
| Legal system | mixed legal system of English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of the citizen |
| International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Citizenship | citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Samoa dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years |
| Suffrage | 21 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: TUI ATUA Tupua Tamasese Efi (since 20 June 2007) head of government: Prime Minister TUILA'EPA Lupesoliai Sailele Malielegaoi (since 1998); Deputy Prime Minister FONOTOE Pierre Lauofo (since 2011) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the chief of state on the prime minister's advice elections/appointments: chief of state indirectly elected by the Legislative Assembly to serve a 5-year term (no term limits); election last held on 20 July 2012 (next to be held in 2017); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party usually appointed prime minister by the chief of state, approved by the Legislative Assembly election results: TUI ATUA Tupua Tamasese Efi unanimously elected by the Legislative Assembly |
| Legislative branch | description: unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fono (49 seats; 47 members - traditional family chiefs or matai and 2 members - part-Samoan or non-Samoan - directly elected by simple majority vote; members serve 5-year terms) elections: election last held on 4 March 2016 (next election to be held no later than March 2021) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - HRPP 44, Tautua Samoa 3, independents 2 |
| Judicial branch | highest court(s): Court of Appeal (consists of the chief justice and 2 Supreme Court judges and meets once or twice a year); Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and several judges) judge selection and term of office: chief justice appointed by the head of state upon the advice of the prime minister; other Supreme Court judges appointed by the Judicial Service Commission, a 3-member body chaired by the chief justice and includes the attorney general and an appointee of the Minister of Justice; judges normally appointed until retirement at age 68 subordinate courts: District Court; Magistrates' Courts; Land and Titles Courts; village fono or village chief councils |
| Political parties and leaders | Human Rights Protection Party or HRPP (Sailele Malielegaoi TUILA'EPA) Samoa Christian Party or TCP (Tuala Tiresa MALIETOA) Samoa Progressive Political Party or SPPP (Toalepaiali'i Toesulusulu S'iueva POSE II) Tautua Samoa (Leatinu'u Salole LESA) |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | NA |
| International organization participation | ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Aliioaiga Feturi ELISAIA (since 4 December 2003) chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400J, New York, NY 10017 telephone: (1) (212) 599-6196 through 6197 FAX: (1) (212) 599-0797 consulate(s) general: Pago Pago (American Samoa) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: the US does not have an embassy in Samoa; the US Ambassador to New Zealand is accredited to Samoa embassy: Accident Corporation Building, 5th Floor, Matafele, Apia mailing address: P. O. Box 3430, Matafele, Apia telephone: (685) 21436/21631/21452/22696 FAX: (685) 22030 |
| Flag description | red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant bearing five white five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross constellation; red stands for courage, blue represents freedom, and white signifies purity |
| National symbol(s) | Southern Cross constellation (five, five-pointed stars); national colors: red, white, blue |
| National anthem | name: "O le Fu'a o le Sa'olotoga o Samoa" (The Banner of Freedom) lyrics/music: Sauni Liga KURESA note: adopted 1962; also known as "Samoa Tula'i" (Samoa Arise) |