Politics of American Samoa
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| American Samoa |
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Politics of American Samoa takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic dependency, whereby the Governor is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. American Samoa is a unincorporated and unorganized territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior. Its constitution was ratified 1966 and came into effect 1967. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in the two chambers of the legislature. The party system is a copy of the United States party system. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.
There is also the traditional village politics of the Samoa Islands, the "faamatai" and the "faasamoa", which continues in American Samoa and in independent Samoa, and which interacts across these current boundaries. The Fa'asamoa is the language and customs, and the Fa'amatai the protocols of the "fono" (council) and the chiefly system. The Fa'amatai and the Fono take place at all levels of the Samoan body politic, from the family, to the village, to the region, to national matters. The "matai" (chiefs) are elected by consensus within the fono of the extended family and village(s) concerned. The matai and the fono (which is itself made of matai) decide on distribution of family exchanges and tenancy of communal lands. The majority of lands in American Samoa and independent Samoa are communal. A matai can represent a small family group or a great extended family that reaches across islands, and to both American Samoa and independent Samoa.
Contents |
Executive branch
| Main office holders | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Office | Name | Party | Since |
| President of the United States | George W. Bush | Republican | 20 January 2001 |
| Governor | Togiola Tulafono | Democrat | 26 March 2003 |
The governor and the lieutenant governor are elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms.
Legislative branch
The Legislature or Fono has two chambers. The House of Representatives has 18 members, elected for a two year term, seventeen in single-seat constituencies and one by a public meeting on Swain Island. The Senate also has 18 members, elected for a four year term by and from the chiefs of the islands.
Political parties and elections
- An overview on elections and election results is included in Elections in American Samoa.
| Candidates | % 1st round | % 2nd round |
|---|---|---|
| Togiola Tulafono | 48.4 | 55.7 |
| Afoa Moega Lutu | 39.4 | 44.3 |
| Others | 12.2 | - |
| Total | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| Source: Samoanews.com and Rulers | ||
| Parties | Votes | % | Representatives | Senators |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-partisans | 20 | |||
| nonvoting delegate from Swains Island | 1 | |||
| Senators elected by local chiefs | 18 | |||
| Total (turnout %) | 21 | 18 |
At the 2 November 2004 election Eni F. H. Faleomavaega of the Democratic Party (United States) defeated the Republican candidate and was re-elected.
Judicial branch
The High Court (chief justice and associate justices are appointed by the United States Secretary of the Interior)
International organization participation
ESCAP (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, SPC
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Politics of American Samoa