constituencies' were only in place for the 2016 general election and were then abolished by the 2019 amendment ahead of the next general election. Following this amendment, each electoral constituency elects one member, totalling 51 members of parliament. An extra Member of Parliament was added after the 2016 election in order to meet the quota of 10% female MPs. Members of Parliament in Samoa are directly elected by universal suffrage, and serve a five-year term. Current composition The Fa‘atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) government currently occupies 30 seats in the Legislative Assembly, whilst the Human Rights Protection party (HRPP) have 20. The HRPP originally won 25 seats at the 2021 election, but lost seven due to electoral petitions. The seven vacancies resulted in by-elections. Following these elections, FAST won five out of the seven constituencies up for election, increasing their parliamentary seat count from 26 to 31. The HRPP could only retain two seats but gained another two when female candidates who lost their respective races but attained the highest percentage nationwide amongst losing candidates were declared elected in order to fulfil parliament's female quota. Therefore increasing the total amount of seats to 53. The speaker of the Legislative Assembly announced on 10 December that the two MPs declared elected via the female parliamentary membership quota would not be sworn in until the Supreme Court finalises legal challenges on the matter. Seven of the new MPs were sworn in on 14 December 2021. Another vacancy occurred with the death of FAST MP Va'ele Pa'ia'aua Iona Sekuini on 25 March 2022, reducing the caucus' seat total to 30. Three additional female members were sworn in on 17 May 2022, two from the HRPP and one from FAST. FAST gained a seat following the victory Fo'isala Lilo Tu'u Ioane in a by-election. Head of State The ceremonial Head of State or O le Ao o le Malo is elected for a five-year term by the Fono. O le Ao o le Malo is limited to a maximum of 2 terms. Elections Elections are held under a simple plurality system. Samoan electors are divided into 51 single member constituencies. Electors must be Samoan citizens and aged over 21. Candidates must be qualified as electors, and are required hold a matai title. Last election results Terms of parliament The Legislative Assembly is currently in its 17th session, its convention did not