Samoan democracy hangs in the balance as a constitutional arm wrestle plays out — with the world watching
- Written by Patricia A. O'Brien, Visiting Fellow, School of History, Australian National University, and Adjunct Professor, Asian Studies Program, Georgetown University
New battlelines in Samoa’s ongoing political crisis were drawn this week. After an evening swearing-in ceremony on the lawn of parliament house, Samoa now has two governments claiming a mandate to rule.
What comes next will have vast ramifications for the Pacific nation, its region and for democracy globally.
On Monday May 24, Fa'atuatua I...