Samoa’s first female PM to review costly China-backed projects

Apia [Samoa], July 29 (ANI): Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, who has assumed office as Samoa’s first female prime minister, is likely to review China-funded infrastructure development projects as they have increased the country’s debt.

Mata’afa plans to scrap a 100 million dollars port development project backed by Beijing, reported Nikkei Asia citing Reuters.

She is the first female Prime Minister of the country, ending months of post-election wrangling with the country’s first transition of power in 23 years.

Fiame’s Fa’atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi party and Tuilaepa’s Human Rights Protection Party each won 25 seats in the 51-seat legislature in the general election in April. The sole independent threw his support behind FAST, giving the party a one-seat majority, but Tuilaepa, who has been in office since 1998, refused to cede power.

The country’s court of appeals ruled on Friday that FAST had won the election, holding that the makeshift swearing-in ceremony that the party held May 24 while locked out of parliament was legitimate.

Fiame previously served as Deputy Prime Minister to Tuilaepa before defecting from HRPP last September to join the opposition, Nikkei Asia further reported. (ANI)