Samoa Election 2025: Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa Battles Former Party and Ex-Leader Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi in High-Stakes Vote

Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa

Samoa held its national election on Friday as Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, the Pacific Island nation’s first female leader, sought re-election in a contest against her former party and long-serving predecessor Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi.

Polling stations closed at 3 p.m. local time (0200 GMT) after roughly 100,000 registered voters cast their ballots to elect 50 lawmakers to parliament.

Fiame, who became Samoa’s first woman prime minister in 2021, is one of the few female leaders in the Pacific. She gained international recognition for her sceptical stance on China’s growing security influence in the region and for advocating unity among island nations to resist external pressures. She also raised Samoa’s global profile by hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting last year, which focused on the impact of climate change across the Pacific.

Her historic 2021 victory ended Tuilaepa’s 22-year rule after a prolonged political standoff. Tuilaepa initially refused to accept the result, stepping down only after the courts upheld Fiame’s swearing-in ceremony, which took place in a tent when she was locked out of parliament.

In June 2025, Fiame called for parliament to be dissolved after failing to secure enough support to pass a key budget bill. Earlier in January, she was expelled from the Fa’atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party amid internal disputes. She now leads the newly formed Samoa United Party, which is contesting around half of the parliamentary seats, according to electoral commission records.

The main contenders in the election are FAST led by La’aulialemalietoa Leuatea Polata’ivao Schmidt, Fiame’s Samoa United Party, and Tuilaepa’s Human Rights Protection Party (HRRP).

In the capital Apia, residents expressed hopes that the election would deliver political stability, with many calling for the next government to prioritize job creation and economic growth.