Sapeer Mayron in Apia19:12, May 24 2021
STUFF
Samoa has been in constitutional crisis and mired in controversy since its April 9 election.
Samoa s caretaker Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi is refusing to back down and has accused the incoming Government of “treason” in a blistering speech.
Fiame Naomi Mata’afa was sworn in as Samoa’s first female prime minister on Monday evening and her Faatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party as the new government, in a ceremony held in a makeshift parliament convened in a tent after the defeated government refused to cede power. With the doors to the actual parliament locked to try to stop the transition of power and the ousted prime minister refusing to obey Supreme Court orders, analysts warned that the island nation was experiencing a bloodless coup.
With the doors to the parliament kept locked, the party that won Samoa's election has decided to conduct its own ceremony outside to become the country's next Government.
Reports regarding the investigation by other media have contained “apparent inaccuracies” a university spokeswoman said. She declined to specify what these inaccuracies were. “Given the sensitivity of the situation, out of respect for the privacy and wellbeing of the people allegedly involved, and to prevent the spread of possible misinformation, the university does not intend to make any further public comment about this matter,” a spokeswoman said.
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The university has declined to comment further on the matter, due to its sensitivity, the privacy and well-being of those involved and the “spread of possible misinformation.” (File photo). Victoria University’s staff conduct policy states staff members are strongly discouraged from entering into intimate personal relationships with students, particularly with a student for whom they have responsibility.
With the doors to the parliament kept locked, the party that won Samoa's election has decided to conduct its own ceremony outside to become the country's next Government.
Samoa election turmoil: FAST Party to host own swearing-in ceremony outside of Parliament stuff.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from stuff.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.