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Samoa's PM-elect Barred From Parliament, Unable to Take Office

VOA News

   ThesmallPacific island nation of Samoa was thrown into a constitutional
   crisis Monday after Prime MinisterTuilaepaSaileleMalielegaoirefused to
   leave office despite his party losing last month's parliamentary
   election.

   Prime Minister Tuilaepa's party was narrowly defeated by the opposition
   party led by

   FiameNaomi Mata'afa.Fiame showed up at parliament Monday to form a new
   government, but she and her supporters were locked out of the building.

   The Supreme Court over the weekend ordered Parliament to be in session
   Monday soFiamecould be seated, but head of
   stateTuimalealiifanoVa'aletoaSualauviII cancelled the session.

   "We remain in this role and operate business as usual," Tuilaepa told
   reporters Monday.

   IfFiametakes power, she would be Samoa's first female prime minister
   and bring an end to Tuilaepa's 22-year hold on power.She has pledged to
   cancel a $100 million port development backed by China, calling it an
   excessive expense for a country that is already heavily in debt to
   Beijing.

   Fiamehad served as Tuilaepa's deputy prime minister until the two had a
   bitter split last year.

   Last month's election ended with both Fiame's FAST party and Tuilaepa's
   HRP party with a 25-25 parliamentary tie.The electoral commission
   handed down a decision that gaveTuilaepa's party an extra parliamentary
   seat, but the high court ruled against the commission, as well as a
   separate decision byhead of stateTuimalealiifano to void the results
   and conduct a new election.

   Fiameholds a bare 26-25 majority with the help of an independent
   parliamentary candidate who sides with her party.

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