Samoa's first elected female prime minister was barred from entering the nation's statehouse to take her oath of office by her political opponent Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi and his followers.
Fiame Naomi Mata'afa said the move to lock the doors of the statehouse was a "bloodless coup." Despite her opponent's actions, Mata'afa proceeded with taking her oath of office inside a tent outside of the statehouse's lawn.
Fiame Naomi Mata’afa was set to be sworn in as Samoa's first new prime minister in 22 years, until the head of state suspended Parliament. https://t.co/kp3uR82M7T — The New York Times (@nytimes) May 22, 2021
The incident marks the latest development in the six-week constitutional crisis faced by the nation after Malielegaoi refused to cede power to the newly elected official. Malielegaoi has been the prime minister of Samoa since 1998.
The political conflict began when the country's national elections ended with a 25-25 tie between the two candidates. The tie was seemingly broken after a sole independent lawmaker had sided with Mata'afa. However, Malielegaoi's ruling Human Rights Protection Party appointed another lawmaker who restored the tie.
In an attempt to finally resolve the issue, the country's head of state and an ally of Malielegaoi, Afioga Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II, called on new elections. The move never came into fruition as the country's Supreme Court ruled to annul the last-minute appointment of the HRP lawmaker, effectively giving Mata'afa the win.
"We have to fight this because we want to retain this country as a country that is democratically ruled, premised on the rule of law," Mata'afa said in an interview.
Malielegaoi continued to oppose Mata'afa from taking office, including canceling procedures that would normally take place when a new prime minister is selected. Malielegaoi also publicly called Mata'afa's swearing-in ceremony outside the statehouse a "joke."
"Oh my, where have we ever seen a Speaker sworn in, in a tent? Shameful," Malielegaoi said.
Mata'afa was originally a part of the HRP but soon left after she expressed her opposition to a planned $100 million Chinese wharf to be built on the island. Her rise to power could lead to the scrapping of the plans. Mata'afa previously said she plans to maintain a good relationship with China but was opposed to the nation taking on additional debt from China.
