At stake in this election:

• 49 seats in the Legislative Assembly (Fono)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: Chief Tanumafili II MALIETOA
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Sailele Malielegaoi TUILAEPA
• Assembly: Samoa has a unicameral Legislative Assembly (Fono) with 49 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The Chief is hereditary. *
• The Prime Minister is appointed by the chief with approval of the Fono.
• In the Legislative Assembly (Fono), 47 members are elected from village-based electorates to serve 5-year terms and 2 members are elected by independent voters with no village affiliation to serve 5-year terms.***

* The monarch is hereditary. Upon the death of Chief Tanumafili II MALIETOA, a new chief of state will be elected by the Legislative Assembly to serve a 5-year term.

*** People twenty-one years and over can vote, but only chiefs (matai) may stand for election to the Fono from the 41 village-based electorates. Four of the larger electorates have two representatives each in the Fono.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP)
  • Leader: Sailele Malielegaoi TUILAEPA
  • Seats won in this election: 33
  • Seats won in last election: 30
• Party: Samoa Democratic United Party (SDUP)**
  • Leader: LE MAMEA Ropati Maulia
  • Seats won in this election: 10
  • Seats won in last election: N/A
• Independent(s): Independents
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this election: 6
  • Seats won in last election: 12

** The Samoa Democratic United Party (SDUP) was formed in 2003 from the Samoan National Development Party (SNDP) and the Samoan United Independent Party (SUIP). SNDP secured 13 seats in the last election.

Last Parliamentary election:

• The last parliamentary election was held on March 3, 2001.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 181,072 (2006)
• Registered Voters: 79,284 (February 2006)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 87,397 (2006)

·         Is Samoa a signatory to CEDAW: No

·         Has Samoa ratified CEDAW: Yes, accession (25 September 1992)

·         Gender Quota: Yes

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 4 (following the 2006 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 105 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A

Disability Data:

·         Is Samoa a signatory to CRPD: Yes (24 September 2014)

·         Has Samoa ratified CRPD: No

·         Population with a disability: 27,160 (est.)