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FAST Leader Tells Head of State Calling Fresh Elections Undermine Rule of Law
FAST Party Leader, Fiame Naomi Mataafa in a live announcement this afternoon of her responses to the Head of State.
APIA, SAMOA – 04 MAY 2021: The FAST Party Leader, Fiamē Naomi Mata’afa has written to the Head of State advising that his intention to call for new elections as wrong, unlawful and threaten and undermine the Rule of Law.
Fiamē attended a meeting called by the Head of State at his residence at Vailele at 1000 this morning and also attended by the caretaker Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi.
In her written response delivered this afternoon, Fiamē said that “the suggested course of action at this time (for which he is clearly taking the advice of the Caretaker Prime Minister) is to pre-empt and undermine the decision of the Supreme Court before it has been made and to pre-empt and undermine the actual vote of all the members of Parliament who were declared as winners in the Official Count released by the Electoral Commissioner.”
She also made a public announcements in Samoan and English that were streamed live after her letters were delivered to the Head of State.
FAST’s legal challenge to declare void the appointment of the sixth woman in parliament as signed by the Head of State on the Electoral Commissioners advise and created a 26-26 tie, is scheduled to be heard in the Supreme Court tomorrow, Wednesday 5 May 2021.
Fiamē asked the Head of State to:
- Please allow the Supreme Court to hear and decide the challenge before it;
- If successful, the issue is resolved and the numbers return to 26-25 as voted for by the people of Samoa;
- If unsuccessful, then the Head of State is required to call Parliament by the 24th May 2021, where a formal count can be taken of all the members elected by the official count to determine if any leader has the majority;
- If no leader has the majority of votes in the Parliament, then the session can be adjourned to await the outcome of electoral petitions or then and only then, should a new election be called by the Head of State.
“The actions taken by the Caretaker Prime Minister since Election Day have interrupted the proper process of elections under law.
“This latest attempt to encourage the Head of State to act unlawfully and before the outcome of a Court challenge (to an official changing the results of a general election) is unsettling and wrong.
“I and the FAST Party continue to place our trust in the proper application of the Rule of Law
“We denounce this behaviour and we especially denounce the use of public resources and public officials by the caretaker government to hold onto power.
“The law sets out the process after an election, and we must follow this process, without diversion or trickery.”
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