General elections were held in Samoa on 24 February 1979. Voting was restricted to Matai and citizens of European origin ("individual voters"), with the Matai electing 45 MPs and Europeans two.[1] Although all candidates ran as independents, an opposition bloc had emerged following the 1976 election of Tufuga Efi as Prime Minister in Parliament. Those identified as critics of Efi (the Va'ai Faction, which later became the Human Rights Protection Party) lost the elections and he remained Prime Minister.
Results
Party
Votes
%
Seats
Tupuola Efi Supporting Group
2,465
24.3
24
Va'ai Faction
2,160
21.4
23
Other independents
5,489
54.3
0
Invalid/blank votes
95
-
-
Total
10,209
100
47
Source: Nohlen et al.
References
^Nohlen, D, Grotz, F & Hartmann, C (2001) Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume II, p782 ISBN 0-19-924959-8
