Voters in Samoa will be heading to the polls to elect new leaders on August 29.
This followed a decision from the Supreme Court upholding the three-month mandate in the Constitution to conduct a general election following the dissolution of Parliament.
Chief Justice Satiu Simativa Perese, sitting alongside Senior Justice Vui Clarence Nelson and Justice Leutele Mata Tuatagaloa, delivered the ruling a day after a brief hearing.
The Samoa Observer reports that the decision means the electoral roll will likely be temporarily closed at the end of June, despite less than 60 percent of the voting population being registered.
The Office of the Electoral Commission has been working late into the night since the dissolution of Parliament to ensure the rolls are updated in time.
Reports from villages indicate a visibly higher turnout for voter registration as OEC staff continue their mobile registration efforts across the country.
In addition, the timeframe for other electoral processes may be drastically shortened.
The Office of the Electoral Commissioner had sought declaratory orders from the Supreme Court to confirm when the country could hold the early general election.
Under the Electoral Act, the Commissioner is independent and not subject to direction from anyone—only the orders of the court.
