Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Samoa's Head of State has confirmed the first sitting of the country's newly elected 18th parliament will take place next week.
Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II issued a proclamation appointing Tuesday, September 16, at 9.30am Samoa time as the date for the opening. The sitting will be held at the Tuanaimato Multipurpose Complex.
The announcement follows last Friday's general election, with official counting taking four days across the country's 50 constituencies.
Preliminary results show the ruling FAST party securing 30 seats, HRPP winning 14, SUP with three, and four independents elected.
This will be FAST's second term in parliament since first coming to power in 2021.
At that time, outgoing Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa was still with the party. This time, its leader Laauli Leuatea Schmidt, is in pole position to become the next prime minister of Samoa.
HRPP leader Tuilaepa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi has told local media his party plans to file 20 election petitions.
All three major political leaders — Fiame (SUP), Tuilaepa (HRPP) and Laauli (FAST) — have retained their seats.
However, Fiame will need to decide whether to enter parliament as an independent or join a party as she has not met the eight-seat threshold for a political party to enter the legislative assembly.
The opening of the Fono on Tuesday will also formally mark the start of Samoa's 18th Legislative Assembly and the beginning of the new five-year parliamentary term.
WHOOPING COUGH
Vanuatu remains on alert for whooping cough, with unvaccinated children under five most at risk.
Three children have died so far from the outbreak, all fromTafea province.
A spokesperson from the Ministry of Health says between 6 July and 4 September, 136 cases were reported - most of which were from Tafea province's Tanna Island.
The spokesperson said all confirmed cases involve unvaccinated children under five.
Parents are urged to get their children vaccinated.
COOK ISLANDS CRIME
The Cook Islands Police Service says rising crime and traffic incidents are linked to increased tourism.
Police media advisor Trevor Pitt told Cook Islands News they have launched a five-year strategy to deal with the impact.
He said tourists have faced charges in court for driving and drug offenses, and police have also responded to visitors lost or injured on mountain hikes, and burglaries on tourism properties.
Pitt said this year's peak tourism season was busier than usual, with a 25 per cent rise in visitor arrivals compared to 2023.
GUAM TECHNOLOGY
Global advances in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity have prompted Guam's government to reassess outdated tech jobs.
Guam Pacific Daily News reported the Office of Technology has identified numerous positions that will be abolished and replaced with up-to-date jobs.
Some positions marked as obsolete date back to the 1980s.
Acting chief technology officer Bea Santos said they are "modernizing job descriptions, removing obsolete language and updating specifications".
In the light of tech advancements globally, she said new roles will be created to handle cybersecurity, web development, and other technological tasks.
The new jobs will monitor government data, locate system security weaknesses, and ensure security systems are adequate and up-to-date.
She said these new positions will protect Guam's digital future.
PACIFIC FISHERIES
The Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency says it's received the first re negotiated annual payment of US$60 million, under the US-Pacific Tuna treaty.
The annual payment is for 2024 and had been held up by the US congress budget processes.
The payment is part of the Treaty on Fisheries which gives US fishing vessels access to the waters of 16 Pacific nations.
These nations control about 50 percent of the world's supply of skipjack tuna, which is the most common canned tuna.
The payment is part of an economic agreement under the tuna treaty between the US and the Forum Fisheries Agency that was finalized last year.
It states the payments are supposed to be made annually by the US, for the years 2023 to 2033.
ISRAEL EMBASSY
The Israeli Foreign Ministry has announced Fiji will open its Embassy in Jerusalem later this month.
The Fiji Times reported the Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka will be in Israel for the occasion.
Currently, six countries have embassies in Jerusalem - the US, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, Papua New Guinea and Paraguay.
TONGA ELECTION
A former Cabinet minister and the son of a late prime minister have confirmed they will be standing in the Tonga general elections in November.
Former Infrastructure and Tourism Minister Semisi Sika said he will stand again in the Tongatapu 2 constituency, a seat he held from 2010 to 2022, when he lost to current MP Uhilamoelangi Fasi.
Samuela 'Akilisi Pohiva Junior, son of late prime minister and namesake Akilisi Pohiva, has confirmed he will also be contesting the election in the Ha'apai 13 constituency.
Meanwhile, Tonga's supervisor of elections, Pita Vuki said the Electoral Office is waiting for the writ of election to be issued by King Tupou IV.
(Source: RNZ Pacific)
Comments
Sorted by BestComments are powered by Disqus. By commenting, you agree to their privacy policy.
Powered by Disqus