The Tautua Samoa Party says citizenship and voting rights for overseas Samoans will be a key issue for its upcoming election campaign .
Parliament has debated the matter before and the government says Samoans living overseas shouldn't be able to dictate Samoa's internal affairs.
But Tautua Party Member and MP, Palusalue Fa'apo II, says matai or village chiefs living abroad should be eligible as election candidates, given their significant contribution through remittances and ongoing support.
He says overseas Samoans, particularly those in New Zealand and Australia, should be able to vote as their constitutional right.
"The citizenship issue, right now, we're working on the plan to finalise everything for our campaign for the upcoming election. In terms of the people living overseas, we support their right to participate in terms of voting for our coming election."
Palusalue Fa'apo II says the party is finalising its candidates to stand in next year's general election.
