Samoa is a unicameral (one House) Parliament. The House consists of 51 Members elected from each Electoral Constituency as prescribed by Article 44 of the Constitution.

Amongst numerous functions, the 5 inherent functions of the Parliament of Samoa includes: To make laws, represent their constituency, form the Government of the Day, scrutinize the Executive, and approve the overall Budget.

Yes, by requesting to the Office of the Clerk for approval, a Chamber Pass may be provided for any member of the public wishing to attend parliamentary sittings.

Parliament’s Sitting Calendar is determined by the Parliamentary Commission in January every year, however, there may be Special Sittings that can be scheduled at the discretion of Mr. Speaker.

The 17th Parliamentary Term elected Susuga Hon PAPALII Lio Oloipola Taeu Masipau as Speaker of Parliament.

The Members of Parliament are elected through a General Election held every 5 years at the dissolution of Parliament, Elections provide citizens over 21yrs to cast their vote for whoever they wish to represent their views in Parliament.

Each Member serves a term of 5 years after which new elections are held.

His Highness, Ao o le Malo assents the Bills passed by Parliament, thus making them official Acts of Parliament (the Laws of Samoa), he also holds a ceremonial role.

Yes, records of Parliament proceedings are public and can be accessed through the official Parliament website or through the office of the Clerk.

The 17th Parliamentary Term currently consists of 53 Members; 51 elected Members and 2 additional seats to make up the 10% women quota.

Yes, there are currently 6 women Members of Parliament including our very first female Prime Minister.

The Parliament of Samoa has 5 Parliamentary Committees representing the different sectors, namely; Economic, Social, Infrastructure, Finance and Expenditure, and the Standing Orders Committee tasked with the scrutiny of the Executive.

The current Parliament building was inaugurated in 2019.

Citizens can submit petitions through their respective MPs or directly to the Parliament Office following the stipulated guidelines.

Article 33 of the Constitution provides for the outcome of a motion of no confidence, whereby the position of Prime Minister will be terminated by the Head of State when the Cabinet is defeated on any question or issue which the Prime Minister has declared to be a question or issue of confidence.

Guided tours are available upon request to the Office of the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, arrangements will then be made on specific days.

The Constitution and Electoral Act 2019 provide specific criteria and requirements that individuals must satisfy before qualifying to run in General Elections.

Matters can be raised in the Parliament through respective Members. Citizens can approach their respective MPs with issues they want to be discussed.

A bill is a proposal for new legislation or amendment to existing legislation. Once a bill is debated, passed by the Parliament, and signed by the Head of State, it becomes an act.

Any member of the Parliament can draft a bill. However, financial bills can only be introduced by the government. Usually, Government Bills are drafted by the Office of the Attorney General together with the assistance of the Ministry/Office that will administer the Bill.