Samoa s First Woman PM-Elect Dismisses Rival s Electoral Games Amid Vote Crisis Fiame Naomi Mata afa revealed on Tuesday she was facing a private prosecution over the makeshift ceremony.
Updated: May 25, 2021 10:18 am IST
Fiame Naomi Mata afa (centre white )was sworn in as Samoa s first female PM in a tent outside parliament
Apia, Samoa:
A constitutional crisis in the Pacific nation of Samoa headed back to the courts on Tuesday as Prime Minister-elect Fiame Naomi Mata afa dismissed the electoral games of her predecessor, who has refused to relinquish power.
Mata afa was sworn in as the country s first female prime minister at an extraordinary ceremony in a tent outside parliament on Monday after the island nation s long-serving ruler refused to cede power and ordered the doors of the building to be locked.
Samoa swears in first female leader in a tent after she s locked out of Parliament amid power struggle
May 24, 2021 / 8:23 AM / AP
Samoa was plunged into a constitutional crisis Monday when the woman who won an election last month was locked out of Parliament and the previous leader claimed he remained in charge. The fast-moving events marked the latest twist in a bitter power struggle that has been playing out in the small Pacific nation since it elected its first female leader. Not only is Samoa s peace and stability at stake, but also its relationship with China.
On Monday morning, Prime Minister-elect Fiame Naomi Mata afa and her supporters showed up at parliament to form a new government, but were not allowed inside.