Introduction: What Can We Learn from the 2021 Political Crisis About Long-run Stability and Democracy in Sāmoa?

The April 2021 election triggered Sāmoa’s most severe constitutional crisis since independence, an unusual development for a country long known for stability. Extensive litigation occurred over a 2013 constitutional amendment which required that a minimum of 10 per cent of parliamentarians be women and over the powers of the head of state. The outgoing government refused to concede defeat until late July. In the Introduction to this special issue, we take the opportunity to examine the debates about stability and instability in Sāmoa in a historical and theoretical context.