22 Mar 2011

Samoa's Justice Minister says electoral law will be looked into

8:36 am on 22 March 2011

Samoa's new Minister of Justice says an inquiry of the recent election will look at issues surrounding the electoral law.

Three candidates were disqualified over a provision which requires village leaders to approve the nomination, and a number of electoral challenges are expected.

Fiame Naomi Mata'afa, the only woman appointed to cabinet, says there is a lot to look at.

"There were some issues around qualification and eligibility. And what the interpretations of the Electoral Commissioner actually were, especially around waiver conditions. There are issues that I am sure if we have another inquiry we will be looking into."

Fiame Naomi Mata'afa says the individual voters seats should also be reviewed.