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All 49 seats in the Legislative Assembly 25 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Results by constituency | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Constitution |
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General elections were held in Samoa on 4 March 2011, to determine the composition of the 15th Parliament. Two parties contested the election, the ruling Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP), which had been in power for most of the time since 1982, led by Prime Minister Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi and the newly founded Tautua Samoa Party (TSP) led by Vaʻai Papu Vailupe, which several minor parties had merged into. The election occurred following amendments to the electoral act in 2009, including the introduction of the Monotoga law, a requirement for aspiring candidates to dedicate traditional village service and commitments. As a result, three TSP aspiring candidates, including a challenger for the prime minister's seat, were disqualified by the Supreme Court for failing to satisfy this law.
The HRPP won re-election with a simple majority of 29 seats, while three cabinet ministers were unseated. The TSP secured 13 seats and independents won seven. Only two of the seven female candidates were successful. Following the election, all the independents joined the HRPP, handing the party a two-thirds majority with 36 seats. Several successful candidates were later stripped of their seats by the Supreme Court due to electoral petitions, which included the TSP leader. As a result, the TSP replaced Vaʻai Papu Vailupe with deputy leader Palusalue Faʻapo II.