A former New Zealand politician says there is a sense of relief in Samoa after general election day.
Aupito William Sio is in Samoa to vote and support the communities he has responsibilities for as a chief.
Aupito,the Pacific General Assembly Council of Chiefs chairman, told RNZ Pacific, from a cafe in Samoa on Saturday morning, he feels as if a weight has been lifted off.
“Thank goodness it’s over. For a while, the general public, outside of the Apia township, just felt like we can’t wait to cast our vote and make the decision for these politicians,” he said.
“There was a sense of fatigue throughout the campaigning period, but now I think there’s huge relief.”
Finally, the people have spoken and a decision has been made, Aupito said.
Fiamē Naomi Mata'afa heads the new SUP party that has contested Samoa's general election. Photo / RNZ, Mark Papalii
Doing the math
Preliminary results from the snap election show Laʻauli Leuatea Schmidt’s Fast Party in the lead and Tuilaepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi’s HRPP trailing behind.
Fast is the same party that won last time with Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa at the helm.
Now, Fiamē heads the new SUP party and Laʻauli is Fast’s leader.
While the preliminary results provide a “good indication”, Aupito said there are still special votes to be added and women candidates to be considered.
Preliminary results from Friday night show Fast on 30 seats, HRPP with 14, SUP had three and IND sat at four as of midday Saturday.
The previous election was tighter, but for now Fast is on track to win by a solid margin.
With the gap in the unofficial results significant, Aupito said there is a good indication as to the outcome.
Samoa also has a quota system for women and there must be a minimum of six women in Parliament.
“So, if two women MPs have made this round. It’s likely that four women candidates who did not win in their seats but who still had the highest votes would be added on to the 51 seats,” Aupito said.
The women’s seats will not be considered until all court challenges are settled, the election office said.
Traditionally, there have been challenges from losing candidates if there was something they believed may have occurred outside the law during the campaign period.
“I am hopeful that the rest of the politicians would see that the people have spoken,” Aupito said.
“The preliminary results give you a clear indication that Fast won the popular vote, and perhaps just to allow them to go through, set themselves up as the new Government, while these minor challenges might occur behind the scenes – but very rarely have we seen any significant changes after the preliminary results.”
Pre-polling officially kicked off in Samoa on Wednesday, August 27. Photo / RNZ Pacific, Grace Tinetali-Fiavaai
What next?
Official results will be tallied from Monday with an announcement expected next Friday, Samoa’s electoral commissioner Toleafoa Tuiafelolo Alexander Stanley told the media on Friday evening.
“Everything ran smoothly today [Friday], there weren’t any issues apart from one,” Toleafoa said.
People were transporting voters, which is not allowed, so the matter has been referred to the police, he said.
Samoans voted for their next Government on Friday and an official result is expected in coming days. Photo / RNZ Pacific
Leadership transition
Aupito described how a transition of leadership began in 2021. The HRPP had been in Government for 40-plus years.
“In fact, the Prime Minister had been the Prime Minister for 23 years, and now he has continued to remain as the leader of the HRPP and has kept HRPP relevant in the hearts and minds of the population,” he said.
Even the strength of being a senior politician was seen as a weakness as a generational shift began in 2021.
For the first time, Samoan citizens in the villages made a statement about what their expectations for leadership were.
“Clearly, they’ve spoken loud and clear,” Aupito said.
Official results will be tallied from Monday with an announcement expected next Friday. Photo / RNZ Pacific, Grace Tinetali-Fiavaai
