O le Ao o le Malo

{{Italic title}} {{short description|Head of state of Samoa}} {{EngvarB|date=September 2025}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2025}} {{Infobox official post | post = ''O le Ao o le Malo'' | body = the Independent State of Samoa | native_name = {{small|''O le Ao o le Malo o le Malo Saʻoloto Tutoʻatasi o Sāmoa''}} | insignia = Coat of arms of Samoa.svg | insigniasize = 100px | insigniacaption = Coat of arms of Samoa | flag = Flag of Samoa.svg | flagsize = 125px | flagborder = yes | flagcaption = Flag of Samoa | image = Va'aleto'a Sualauvi II Feb 2018 (cropped).jpg | incumbent = Tuimalealiʻifano Vaʻaletoʻa Sualauvi II | incumbentsince = 21 July 2017 | department = | style = His Highness | type = Head of state | abbreviation = | nominator = | member_of = | residence = Vailele<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tautua-Fanene |first1=Deidre |title=$600,000 residence for Head of State re-opens |url=https://www.samoaobserver.ws/category/samoa/25192 |access-date=16 December 2024 |work=Samoa Observer |date=14 September 2018}}</ref> | seat = Apia | appointer = Legislative Assembly | termlength = Five years, renewable once<ref name="limit">{{cite web |title=Parliament reduces Head of State's term to ten years |url=https://www.samoaobserver.ws/category/samoa/10497 |publisher=Samoa Observer |access-date=25 October 2021 |date=17 February 2019}}</ref> | constituting_instrument = Constitution of Samoa | precursor = | inaugural = {{ubl|Tupua Tamasese Meaʻole|Malietoa Tanumafili II}} | formation = {{start date and age|df=y|1962|1|1}} | deputy = Members of the Council of Deputies | salary = {{currency|82000|USD}} annually<ref name="abc.net.au">{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/radio-australia/programs/pacificbeat/samoan-leaders-salaries-published-by-newspaper/7885872|title=Samoan leaders salaries published by newspaper|first=Bruce|last=Hill|date=28 September 2016|website=ABC Radio Australia}}</ref> | website = [https://www.samoagovt.ws/directories/head-of-state/ www.samoagovt.ws] }} {{Politics of Samoa}}

The {{lang|sm|'''O le Ao o le Malo'''}} ({{Literal translation|chief of the state}} in Samoan){{efn|{{lang|sm|Ao}} is a title generally reserved for chiefs ({{lang|sm|matai}}), while {{lang|sm|malo}} means {{gloss|state}} or {{gloss|government}}.}} is the head of state of Samoa. The office is equivalent to a ceremonial president in parliamentary republics. In English, it is alternatively referred to using the title of '''Head of State''' ('''HOS''').<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 July 2014 |title=Head of State {{!}} O le Ao o le Malo |url=https://www.samoagovt.ws/directories/head-of-state/ |access-date=2024-07-06 |website=Government of Samoa |quote=Afioga Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II was sworn in as the Head of State of the Independent State of Samoa on the 21st July, 2017.}}</ref>

At the time the constitution was adopted, it was anticipated that future heads of state would be chosen from among the four {{lang|sm|tamaʻāiga}} paramount chieftains in line with customary protocol.<ref name="Laracy article" /> However, this is not a constitutional requirement. Since the election is not restricted to the "royal" lineages and is done by the country's elected parliament, Samoa is considered a parliamentary republic rather than an elective monarchy along the lines of Malaysia or the UAE. The government press secretariat describes the O le Ao o le Malo as a "ceremonial president". Similar to monarchs, the holder is given the formal style of His Highness, as is the case with the four {{lang|sm|tamaʻāiga}}.

The Council of Deputies collectively acts as the deputy to the head of state, substituting in the event of a vacancy or when the head of state cannot otherwise fulfill their duties. The incumbent head of state is Tuimalealiʻifano Vaʻaletoʻa Sualauvi II, who was elected to a five-year term in 2017 and re-elected in 2022.<ref>{{cite news |date=19 October 2022 |title=Pacific news in brief for October 19 |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/476939/pacific-news-in-brief-for-october-19 |access-date=30 October 2022 |publisher=RNZ Pacific |quote=Samoa's head of state has been sworn in by the Chief Justice for a second term of five years. [...] In August Parliament endorsed the appointment of Tuimalealiʻifano as head of state for a second term.}}</ref>

== History == The 1960 constitution of Samoa stipulated that heads of state were to be elected by the Legislative Assembly for five-year terms. At the same time, it created an exception for Tupua Tamasese Meaʻole and Malietoa Tanumafili II, named jointly for a life tenure beginning on Samoa's independence day on 1 January 1962.<ref name="1960 Constitution">{{cite web |title=Constitution of the Independent State of Western Samoa 1960 |url=http://www.paclii.org/ws/legis/consol_act/cotisows1960535/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070708171858/http://www.paclii.org/ws/legis/consol_act/cotisows1960535/ |archive-date=8 July 2007 |access-date=28 December 2007 |publisher=University of the South Pacific |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=Hassall, Graham |author2=Saunders, Cheryl |name-list-style=amp |title=Asia-Pacific Constitutional Systems |url=https://archive.org/details/asiapacificconst00hass |url-access=limited |date=2002 |publisher= Cambridge University Press |isbn= 0-521-59129-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/asiapacificconst00hass/page/n51 41]}}</ref> They represented, respectively, the paramount lineages of the Tupua Tamasese and Malietoa; both had fiercely competed in a civil war during the late 19th century for control for the four district chieftain titles, known as {{Lang|sm|pāpā}}.<ref name="Laracy article">{{cite news |author=New Zealand Herald |author-link=New Zealand Herald |date=28 June 2007 |title=Name says it all for Samoa's new leader |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10448278&pnum=0 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805113747/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10448278 |archive-date=5 August 2011 |access-date=28 December 2007 |work=The New Zealand Herald}}</ref> The two officeholders were jointly known as {{Lang|sm|O Ao o le Malo}} and individually as {{Lang|sm|O le Ao o le Malo}}. On the death or resignation of either, the surviving counterpart would remain in office alone, and the article which constituted their appointment would be sunset after the end of both terms.<ref name="1960 Constitution" /><ref name="Laracy article" />

The former home of writer Robert Louis Stevenson in Vailima served as the head of state's official residence until it was damaged in cyclones in the 1990s; the building subsequently became the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Robert Louis Stevenson Museum |url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/robert-louis-stevenson-museum |access-date=2021-05-16 |website=Atlas Obscura |language=en}}</ref>

Tui Ātua Tupua Tamasese Efi was the first head of state to be elected by the Legislative Assembly, after Malietoa's death in 2007. A son of Meaʻole, he had previously served as Prime Minister from 1976 to 1982.<ref name="2007 election">{{cite news |url= http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10446128 |title= New head of state for Samoa |author= New Zealand Herald |author-link= New Zealand Herald |access-date= 16 June 2007 |work= The New Zealand Herald |date= 16 June 2007 }}{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

In 2019, the Samoan government led by the Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) amended the constitution, introducing a two-term limit for the head of state.<ref name="limit" /> In November 2021, the government of the Faʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party announced that it was considering an amendment to make the office a lifetime appointment. This suggestion was part of a review of the constitution.<ref>{{cite web |title=Samoa's Head of State could be appointed for life |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/454903/samoa-s-head-of-state-could-be-appointed-for-life |publisher=RNZ Pacific |access-date=27 November 2021 |date=4 November 2021}}</ref>

== Qualifications == Article 18 of the Samoan constitution sets the qualifications for the position of head of state. They must:

* be eligible for election as a member of the Legislative Assembly; * possess such qualifications as the Legislative Assembly may determine by resolution; * not have previously been removed from the office on the grounds of misbehavior or infirmity.<ref name="1960 Constitution" />

== Term of office == The head of state is elected by the Legislative Assembly for five years and can be re-elected once. The exceptions to this were Tupua Tamasese Meaʻole and Malietoa Tanumafili II, who were exempted from the election and term length clauses laid down by Article 19.<ref name="1960 Constitution" /> A 2019 amendment to the constitution states that the head of state can serve no more than two terms.<ref name="limit"/>

A head of state's term may be terminated by: * resignation; * impeachment by the Legislative Assembly on the grounds of misbehavior or mental or physical infirmity; * approval by two-thirds of the Legislative Assembly of a resolution for removal that is proposed and supported by at least a fourth of its members, following at least fourteen days between the notice of motion and debate on the motion;<ref name="1960 Constitution" /> * death.

== Duties and powers == Although the head of state formally leads the executive, in practice they only act on the advice of the Prime Minister, making the position that of a ceremonial figurehead.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Samoa 1962 (rev. 2017) Constitution |url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Samoa_2017 |access-date=2026-01-18 |language=en |via=Constitute Project}}</ref><ref name=":2" /> The head of state has the ability to appoint the prime minister from any member of the Legislative Assembly commanding the confidence of a majority of members of the Assembly. As in other parliamentary systems, this is typically the leader of the political party holding the most seats in the Assembly.<ref>{{Citation |last=So’o |first=Asofou |title=The Establishment and Operation of Sämoa’s Political Party System |date=2008 |work=Political Parties in the Pacific Islands |pages=185–206 |editor-last=Rich |editor-first=Roland |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt24hc84.16 |access-date=2026-01-18 |publisher=ANU Press |isbn=978-1-921313-75-2 |last2=Hambly |first2=Luke |last3=Morgan |first3=Michael G.}}</ref> Cabinet ministers, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and justices of the Supreme Court can only formally take office upon subscribing to an oath in the presence of the head of state as provided by the constitution.<ref name=":1" />

While the head of state "does not play an active role in government", they can dissolve the Assembly, and no act of the Assembly becomes law without their approval, akin to royal assent in monarchies.<ref name=":2">{{cite book |author1=Kogan Page |author2=World of information |title=Asia and Pacific Review 2003/04, 21st edition |year=2003 |publisher=Walden Publishing Ltd. |location=Essex, England |isbn=0-7494-4063-5 |page=41}}</ref> They also have the power to grant pardons.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ediplomat.com/np/post_reports/pr_ws.htm |title=Samoa |author=eDiplomat.com |access-date=28 December 2007}}</ref>

== Elections == To date, there have been four elections for the office of head of state. The first was held on 16 June 2007, in which Tui Ātua Tupua Tamasese Efi was elected unopposed by the 49-member strong parliament. The second was held on 19 July 2012, in which Efi was nominated by Prime Minister Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi and seconded by Palusalue Faʻapo II, the leader of the opposition. The third was held on 30 June 2017, in which Tuimalealiʻifano Vaʻaletoʻa Sualauvi II was elected unopposed.<ref name=July-2017>[https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/334479/new-head-of-state-for-samoa New head of state for Samoa] Radio New Zealand International, 5 July 2017</ref> The fourth was held on 23 August 2022, in which Sualauvi II was reelected unopposed.<ref name="August-2022">{{cite news |date=24 August 2022 |title=Samoan Parliament re-elects Head of State |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/473339/samoan-parliament-re-elects-head-of-state |access-date=30 October 2022 |publisher=RNZ Pacific}}</ref>

== List of officeholders == ;Political affiliations {{legend|{{party color|Independent politician}}|Independent|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}

;Status {{legend|#E6E6AA|Denotes acting O le Ao o le Malo|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}

;Symbols {{note label|C|C|C}} Constitutional referendum

{{note label|D|D|D}} As member of the Council of Deputies

{{note label|†|†|†}} Died in office {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:100%;text-align:center" ! rowspan="2" |{{Abbr|No.|Number}} ! rowspan="2" |Portrait ! rowspan="2" |Name {{small|(Birth–Death)}} ! rowspan="2" |Elected ! colspan="3" |Term of office ! rowspan="2" |Political party ! rowspan="2" |Prime minister(s) |- ! Took office ! Left office ! Time in office |- ! style="background:{{party color|Independent politician}}; color:black" | 1 | 100px | Tupua Tamasese Meaʻole {{small|(1905–1963)}}{{efn|Life tenure. Served jointly with Tanumafili II.}} | rowspan="2" | {{Text|1961{{ref label|C|C|C}}}} | 1 January 1962 | 5 April 1963{{ref label|†|†|†}} | {{ayd|1962|1|1|1963|4|5}} | Independent | Mulinuʻu II |- ! style="background:{{party color|Independent politician}}; color:black" | 1 | 100px | Malietoa Tanumafili II {{small|(1913–2007)}}{{efn|Life tenure. Served jointly with Meaʻole until 5 April 1963.}} | 1 January 1962 | 11 May 2007{{ref label|†|†|†}} | {{ayd|1962|1|1|2007|5|11}} | Independent | Mulinuʻu II Lealofi IV Tupua Kolone Alesana Tuilaʻepa |- style="background:#e6e6aa;" ! style="background:{{party color|Independent politician}}; color:black" |— | 100px | Tui Ātua Tupua Tamasese Efi{{ref label|D|D|D}} {{small|(born 1938)}} {{small|Acting O le Ao o le Malo}} | rowspan="2" | — | 11 May 2007 | 20 June 2007 | rowspan="2" | {{ayd|2007|5|11|2007|6|20}} | Independent | rowspan="2" | Tuilaʻepa |- style="background:#e6e6aa;" ! style="background:{{party color|Independent politician}}; color:black" |— | 100px | Tuimalealiʻifano Vaʻaletoʻa Sualauvi II{{ref label|D|D|D}} {{small|(born 1947)}} {{small|Acting O le Ao o le Malo}} | 11 May 2007 | 20 June 2007 | Independent |- ! style="background:{{party color|Independent politician}}; color:black" |2 | 100px | Tui Ātua Tupua Tamasese Efi {{small|(born 1938)}} | 2007 2012 | 20 June 2007 | 21 July 2017 | {{ayd|2007|6|20|2017|7|21}} | Independent | Tuilaʻepa |- ! style="background:{{party color|Independent politician}}; color:black" |3 | 100px | Tuimalealiʻifano Vaʻaletoʻa Sualauvi II {{small|(born 1947)}} | 2017 2022 | 21 July 2017 | Incumbent | {{ayd|2017|7|21}} | Independent | Tuilaʻepa Mataʻafa Schmidt |}

== Timeline == {{#tag:timeline| ImageSize = width:1050 height:auto barincrement:14 PlotArea = top:3 bottom:80 right:190 left:20 AlignBars = late

Define $today = {{#time:d/m/Y}}

DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1962 till:$today TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:1962 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:1962

Colors = id:none value:gray(0.7) legend:Independent

Legend = columns:2 left:130 top:40 columnwidth:230

TextData = pos:(20,45) textcolor:black fontsize:M text:"Political parties:"

BarData = bar:TupuaTamaseseMea'ole bar:MalietoaTanumafiliII bar:TuiAtuaTupuaTamaseseEfi bar:Tuimaleali'ifanoVa'aleto'aSualauviII

PlotData = width:5 align:left fontsize:S shift:(5,-4) anchor:till

bar:TupuaTamaseseMea'ole from: 01/01/1962 till: 05/04/1963 color:none text:"Tupua Tamasese Meaʻole" bar:MalietoaTanumafiliII from: 01/01/1962 till: 11/05/2007 color:none text:"Malietoa Tanumafili II" bar:TuiAtuaTupuaTamaseseEfi from: 20/06/2007 till: 21/07/2017 color:none text:"Tui Ātua Tupua Tamasese Efi" bar:Tuimaleali'ifanoVa'aleto'aSualauviII from: 21/07/2017 till: $today color:none text:"Tuimalealiʻifano Vaʻaletoʻa Sualauvi II"

}}

== Notes == {{notelist}}

== References == {{reflist}}

== External links == * [http://www.head-of-state-samoa.ws Website of the Head of State of the Independent State of Samoa] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200823175455/http://www.head-of-state-samoa.ws/ |date=23 August 2020 }} * [http://www.headofstate.ws/ Former website of the Head of State]

Category:1962 establishments in Samoa Category:O le Ao o le Malo of Samoa Category:Government of Samoa Category:Samoan chiefs Category:Samoan words and phrases Category:Polynesian titles Category:1962 establishments in Oceania