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General elections were held inAmerican Samoa on November 6, 2012, to elect a new governor andlieutenant governor, twenty members of theAmerican Samoa House of Representatives and theDelegate to United States House of Representatives.[1] Incumbent governorTogiola Tulafono was term-limited and could not seek re-election.
Lolo Matalasi Moliga was elected governor, whileEni Faleomavaega was re-elected as the U.S. House delegate.
The incumbent,GovernorTogiola Tulafono, who had held office since 2003, was term-limited and could not seek re-election.[2] Tulafono, who took office after the death of former governor Tauese Sunia, was elected to his first four-year term in 2004 and re-elected in the2008 gubernatorial election.[3]
All elections and candidates in American Samoa arenonpartisan, thoughFaoa Aitofele Sunia is affiliated with theDemocratic Party. Slightly less than 17,000 American Samoans were eligible to vote in the 2012 election.[4]
Six candidates sought election as the nextGovernor of American Samoa in 2012.[2] GovernorTogiola Tulafono was term-limited and could not seek a third consecutive term.[2]
The gubernatorial ticket of Save Liuato Tuitele andSandra King-Young filed a petition in September 2012 against four other campaigns questioning their eligibility to run in the election.[14] Tuitele and Young argued that the other four candidates had not resigned from their government jobs before beginning their political campaigns, as required by law.[14] The four candidates challenged by the Tuitele campaign were gubernatorial candidatesLolo Letalu Matalasi Moliga andSalu Hunkin-Finau, as well as lieutenant governor candidatesTaufete'e Faumuina Jr. andLe'i Sonny Thompson.[15]
The case was heard by theHigh Court of American Samoa,[14] which turned down the petition allowing all candidates to remain in the election.[16]
Outgoing governor Togiola Tulafono endorsed his lieutenant governor,Faoa Aitofele Sunia, for governor in the six-way election.[17]
Voters were asked "Should Article II, Sections 9 and 19 of the revised constitution of American Samoa be revised to give the Fono, rather than the Secretary for the U.S. Department of Interior, the power to override the Governors veto?"[18]
The proposal would involve amending two parts of the constitution:
| Section | Existing text | Proposed text |
|---|---|---|
| Chapter II article 9 section 3 | Not later than 14 months after a bill has been vetoed by the governor, it may be passed over his veto by a two-thirds majority of the entire membership of each house at any session of the legislature, regular or special. A bill so repassed shall be represented to the governor for his approval. If he does not approve it within 15 days, he shall send it together with his comment thereon to the Secretary of the Interior. If the Secretary of the Interior approves it within 90 days after its receipt by him, it shall become a law; otherwise it shall not. | Not later than 14 months after a bill has been vetoed by the governor, it may be passed over his veto by a two-thirds majority of the entire membership of each House at any session of the legislature, regular or special. A bill so repassed shall become law 90 days after the adjournment of the session in which it was repassed. |
| Chapter II article 19 | An act of the legislature required to be approved and approved by the governor only shall take effect no-sooner than 60 days from the end of the session at which the same shall have been passed while an act required to be approved by the Secretary of the Interior only after its veto by the governor and so approved shall take effect no sooner than 40 days after its return to the governor by the Secretary of the Interior. The foregoing is subject to the exception that in case of an emergency the act may take effect at an earlier date stated in the act provided that the emergency be declared in the preamble and in the body of the act. | An act of the legislature required to be approved and approved by the governor only shall take effect no-sooner than 60 days from the end of the session at which the same shall have been passed. The foregoing is subject to the exception that in case of an emergency the act may take effect at an earlier date stated in the act provided that the emergency be declared in the preamble and in the body of the act. |
| Candidate | Running mate | First round | Second round | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | ||
| Lolo Matalasi Moliga | Lemanu Peleti Mauga | 4,372 | 33.49 | 6,645 | 52.94 |
| Faoa Aitofele Sunia | Taufete'e John Faumuina, Jr. | 4,315 | 33.06 | 5,908 | 47.06 |
| Afoa Moega Lutu | Le'i Sonny Thompson | 2,521 | 19.31 | ||
| Salu Hunkin-Finau | Iuniasolua Savusa | 893 | 6.84 | ||
| Save Liuato Tuitele | Tofoitaufa Sandra King-Young | 763 | 5.85 | ||
| Timothy Jones | Tuika Tuika | 189 | 1.45 | ||
| Total | 13,053 | 100.00 | 12,553 | 100.00 | |
| Source: Samoa News[19] | |||||
 | Election results are missing from this article. Using areliable source, please add results from elections that are unlisted or incompletely listed. |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eni Faleomavaega | Democratic Party | 7,221 | 55.22 | |
| Amata Coleman Radewagen | Constitution Party | 4,420 | 33.80 | |
| Rosie F. Tago Lancaster | Independent | 697 | 5.33 | |
| Kereti Mata'utia Jr. | Democratic Party | 438 | 3.35 | |
| Fatumalala Leulua'iali'i A. Al-Sheri | Independent | 300 | 2.29 | |
| Total | 13,076 | 100.00 | ||
| Source:Federal Election Commission | ||||
| Choice | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| For | 5,852 | 44.92 | |
| Against | 7,177 | 55.08 | |
| Total | 13,029 | 100.00 | |
| Registered voters/turnout | 17,774 | – | |
| Source:Direct Democracy | |||
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