Samoa’s caretaker Prime Minister, Tuila‘epa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi, is set to appear before the country’s Supreme Court on Monday for refusing to follow orders issued by the court in May to open the nation’s Parliament.
Tuila‘epa and three colleagues refused to open the country’s Parliament for a swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa and her opposition party FAST on May 24. The FAST parliamentarians then held an impromptu swearing-in ceremony outside Parliament House which Tuila'epa declared was an act of treason and “the highest form of illegal conduct.”
“[The courts] have shown flagrant disregard, and disrespect, of the powers of the position of the head of state,” Tuimalealiʻifano said in a statement. “I read it as a direct threat to the legal authority, powers, and integrity of both the office of the head of state and that of the parliament of the independent state of Samoa.”
However, the actions of HRRP and Tuimalealiʻifano have created a potential pathway for FAST and Fiame to be legally instated as the governing party after the Supreme Court noted it would reconsider its decision to declare the impromptu parliamentary swearing-in of the FAST government illegal if the July 5 session of parliament was not held.
Tuimalealiʻifano did not open Parliament on July 5.
If the court does choose to make the impromptu swearing-in legal, Fiame, who shot to international prominence for stating she would scrap a Chinese-backed port development in Samoa because it was ‘excessive,’ will become the first female leader of the nation.
Meanwhile, both Australia and New Zealand have urged all parties to come together and allow for the formation of a government.
“We urge all parties to cooperate, with a view to convening the parliament and enabling the formation of a government,” the statement said.
“There are obviously some deadlines for the convening of Parliament that are looming, and we continue to meet and talk about New Zealand’s position,” Ardern said.
The New Zealand prime minister also said she would discuss Samoa’s situation with the Secretary-General of the Pacific Islands Forum, Henry Puna, who was visiting Wellington this week.