At stake in this election:

• 49 seats in the Legislative Assembly (Fono)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: Chief TUIATUA Tupua Tamasese Efi
• 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 elected by parliament.
• The Prime Minister is appointed by the president with the approval of the parliament.
• In the Legislative Assembly (Fono), 35 members are elected by plurality vote in single-member constituencies to serve 5-year terms and 14 members are elected by plurality vote in multi-member constituencies to serve 5-year terms.***

*** There seven multi-member constituencies with two seats each. One of these is reserved for part-and non-Samoans. Electors cast two votes in these districts.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP)
  • Leader: Sailele Malielegaoi TUILAEPA
  • Seats won in this election: 36
  • Seats won in last election: 30
• Party: Tautua Samoa Party / (TSP)**
  • Leader: Va'ai Papu VAILUPE
  • Seats won in this election: 13
  • Seats won in last election: 0

** The TSP was formed by eleven Independent MPs. Because Samoan law states that MPs can stand only as independents if they resign from their parties during a parliamentary term, the TSP can only exist as a party outside the Fono until the next election.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 187,434 (2011)
• Registered Voters: 76,000 (February 2011 est.)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 90,788 (2011)

·         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: 2 (following the 2011 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: 28,115 (est.)