Samoa

Legislative Assembly

Political system Political systems: Presidential, Parliamentary, Presidential-Parliamentary, Monarchy, Communist, Transitional.
Parliamentary system
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Structure of parliament Structure of parliament: Unicameral, bicameral
Unicameral
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IPU membership Current membership status
Yes
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Data on women

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Basic information > About parliament

Speaker

Speaker
Papali’i Li’o Oloipola Taeu Masipau (Male)
Year of birth
1953
Additional information
Sworn in on 24 May 2021.
See historical data for this field.

Secretary general

Secretary General
Satama Leatisa Uitime Tala (Male)
Notes Additional information about the Secretary General, in particular regarding their term.
Appointed on 20 Oct. 2021.

Members

Current number of members, by sex
Men The number of male parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.
47
See historical data for this field.
Women The number of female parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.
7
See historical data for this field.
Percentage of women Calculated by dividing the current number of women by the current number of members.
12.96% See historical data for this field.

Reserved seats and quotas

Number of reserved seats, by group
Women
5
Electoral quota for women Quotas to promote the representation of women in parliament.
Yes
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Notes
Women shall constitute a minimum of 10% of the Members of the Legislative Assembly. This provision will apply to the parliament to be elected in 2016. (Source: https://www.idea.int/data-tools/data/gender-quotas )
Elections > Historical data on women

Women's suffrage

Date of independence For countries that become independent after 1940
1961
Women’s right to vote
Women’s right to vote Year in which women obtained the right to vote
1948
National or local Suffrage: National or Local
National
Restricted or unrestricted suffrage Suffrage: Restricted or Universal
Restricted
Detail of restrictions Suffrage: Restrictions detail
Only matais and non-Samoan (of European or Chinese decent) men and women who had completed all residence and citizenship formalities had the right to vote
Notes Suffrage: Additional Notes on right of suffrage
Prior to independence, under the administration of New Zealand, women were granted the right to vote, with restrictions, in 1948. This right was extended to universal suffrage in 1990.
Women’s right to vote Year in which women obtained the right to vote
1990
National or local Suffrage: National or Local
National
Restricted or unrestricted suffrage Suffrage: Restricted or Universal
Universal
Detail of restrictions Suffrage: Restrictions detail
Between 1948 and 1990, only matais and non-Samoan (of European or Chinese decent) men and women who had completed all residence and citizenship formalities had the right to vote
Notes Suffrage: Additional Notes on right of suffrage
Prior to independence, under the administration of New Zealand, women were granted the right to vote, with restrictions, in 1948. This right was extended to universal suffrage in 1990.
Women’s right to stand for election
Women's right to stand for election Year in which women obtained the right to stand for election
1990
National or local Stand for Election: National or Local
National
Restricted or unrestricted suffrage Stand for Election : Restricted or Universal
Universal
Detail of restrictions Stand for Election: Restrictions detail
Between 1948 and 1990, only matais and non-Samoan (of European or Chinese decent) men and women who had completed all residence and citizenship formalities had the right to vote and stand for election
Notes Stand for Election: Additional Notes on right to stand for election
Prior to independence, under the administration of New Zealand, women were granted the right to vote and stand for election, with restrictions, in 1948. This right was extended to universal suffrage in 1990.
First woman in parliament
First woman in parliament Year in which first woman entered parliament
1964