BREAKING: Samoa in Turmoil-Prime Minister Moves to Dissolve Parliament

Fiame Naomi Mata‘afa Moves to Dissolve Parliament After Budget Defeat

Samoa is set to hold an early general election after Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata‘afa announced plans to dissolve Parliament, following the defeat of her Government’s 2025 Budget.

On Tuesday morning, the Budget was voted down 34–16, with two abstentions. The vote marked a decisive blow to Fiame’s minority Government and signalled a loss of confidence on the floor of Parliament.

The defeat comes months after a dramatic split in the ruling Faʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) Party. In January, Fiame removed Agriculture Minister and FAST party chairman La‘auli Leuatea Schmidt from Cabinet after he was charged in relation to criminal matters. The move triggered a deeper fracture, with three Cabinet ministers and 13 associate ministers ultimately removed.

La‘auli retaliated by ejecting Fiame and five ministers from FAST, leaving her isolated and leading a minority Government.

Despite surviving two leadership challenges earlier this year—one from opposition leader Tuila‘epa Sailele Malielegaoi and another from La‘auli—Fiame’s administration could not recover from the Budget defeat.

In a parliamentary address in January this year, Fiame acknowledged the gravity of the internal split: “Ua va le fogava‘a”—there is a rift in the alignment of the canoes. “These challenges are not unprecedented,” she said. “In 1982, similar divisions within the HRPP led to multiple changes in leadership before the government stabilised.” (Asia Pacific Report, 22 January 2025)

Speaking to RNZ Pacific while in Aotearoa earlier this month, Fiame said her focus had been to complete her term despite leading a minority Government. “We had two motions of no confidence. I have always said that Parliament would determine whether we remain in Government as a minority Government, and it would appear that that is still the status quo.”

 “My reading is no one really wants to go to an early election. There are a few technical issues that would make it difficult. The main one being that we are doing a complete re-registration of the voters, and I think we are not yet at 60%.” (RNZ Pacific, 17 May 2025)

Now, with her Budget blocked and the numbers no longer on her side, Fiame has formally stated her intention to seek a dissolution of Parliament. The final decision rests with Samoa’s Head of State.

If approved, Samoans will return to the polls earlier than expected—amid a rapidly shifting political landscape where party loyalty, leadership, and the future direction of the nation remain in question.