Government in Samoa is three tiered with the central government followed by a division in eleven political districts or tūmālō. Districts are governed from the district capital villages according to their own constitutions based on traditional laws and regulations. Below the district level, village- (fono) and urban authorities play a fundamental role in the overall government structure on Samoa. There are 26 urban local governments plus 286 rural-level local governments, the capital of Apia consist out of 45 villages joined into the countries Capital District. The rural and urban village authorities operate as a single tier, with each village having its own committee. The selection of these committees falls outside the responsibility of the Ministry of women, Community and Social Development who administer local community development in general. Several village representatives serve as district administrators in a part-time function. National elections are the only elections regulated by the central government and are held every five years most recently in march 2011.
Local government on Samoa has a discernable amount of freedom which is laid down into the main legislative text on local government; the Village Fono Act of 1990. This Act states fields of responsibilities for localities such as education, water management and health. Often development is a joint effort between the local and central levels of government. This cooperative relation is also laid down in law in the Internal Affairs Act of 1995. Although a standalone Ministry of Internal Affairs was not created as stated in the Act, the spirit of the document is upheld by repositioning central government as a facilitator to local needs. In 2005 an Amendment to the Planning and Urban Management Agency Act (PUMA)was the most recent change in local government legislation. The PUMA Act reorganized the management and development of the urban area around the capital of Apia.
Samoan development of localities is first and foremost a responsibility of localities themselves. It is up to them to pinpoint potential fields for improvement where after ample support is given by the central government and its ministries. Next to participation in the CLGF Forum on Local Government promoting the importance of local government other projects are aimed at improving tourism facilities on Samoa and the living standards of the Samoan population. The Community Centred Sustainable Development Programme (CCSDP) and the Water Sector Support Programme (WaSSP) are examples of this development cooperation between local and central government but also with international partners.
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