Abstract
The 2016 election was the first in Samoa since a constitutional amendment was passed guaranteeing a minimum of five women members of Parliament (MPs). Under this quota mechanism, a fifth additional woman MP entered Parliament after the election, joining three incumbent female MPs and one new who won their constituencies outright. The additional woman MP brings the total number of MPs to 50, making the current Parliament the largest ever. This presentation will evaluate quota implementation in the 2016 Samoan election. It will examine the impacts of quota adoption in the election in terms of support for women candidates from civil society and political parties; the number and characteristics of women candidates; the success of women in the election; and their success in the election after the election, the selection of Cabinet. Finally, it will review some issues that may arise in the first post-quota political term in Samoa, based on experiences with quotas elsewhere in the world.
| Original language | English |
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| Publisher | State, Society and Governance in Melanesia |
| Place of Publication | Canberra, Australia. |
| Publication status | Published - 2016 |