Editing History of Samoa (section)

==Independence==
Samoa received its independence from New Zealand on 1 January 1962 and adopted the name [[Western Samoa]], becoming the first [[Polynesia]]n nation to be recognized as a sovereign state in the 20th century.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/politics/samoa/towards-independence|title=Towards independence - NZ in Samoa|author=New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage|website=nzhistory.net.nz|date=19 July 2010|access-date=29 April 2011}}</ref> Samoa's first prime minister following independence was paramount chief [[Fiamē Mataʻafa Faumuina Mulinuʻu II]].<ref name=PIM1>[https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-334731663/view?partId=nla.obj-334758475#page/n12/mode/1up Mata'afa, friend to all, who led Samoa 'long and loyally'] ''Pacific Islands Monthly'', July 1975, p7</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19611230.2.112 |title=Western Samoa SMOOTH PROGRESS TO INDEPENDENCE |work=The Press |page=10 |date=30 December 1961 |access-date=28 September 2021 |via=Papers Past}}</ref> Later that year a treaty of friendship was signed with New Zealand, under which New Zealand agreed to assist Western Samoa in foreign policy if desired.<ref name="Lal2006">{{cite book |author1=Brij V Lal |title=British Documents on the End of Empire Project Series B Volume 10: Fiji |date=22 September 2006 |publisher=University of London: Institute of Commonwealth Studies |page=305 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z2R3Nk3jUlsC |chapter='Pacific Island talks': Commonwealth Office notes on four-power talks in Washington |isbn=9780112905899 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z2R3Nk3jUlsC&pg=PA297}}</ref> Samoa became a [[Member states of the Commonwealth of Nations|member state of the Commonwealth of Nations]] on 28 August 1970. In 1977, Queen [[Elizabeth II]] visited Samoa during her tour of the [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]].

A conflict briefly emerged between Samoa and American Samoa following Samoa's decision to drop the adjective "Western" from its name. The change was made by an act of the [[Legislative Assembly of Samoa|Legislative Assembly of Western Samoa]] adopted on 4 July 1997.<ref>Constitution Amendment Act (No. 2) 1997 (No. 15)</ref> The step caused "surprise and uproar" in neighboring American Samoa, as for some American Samoans the change of name implied a claim to be the "real" Samoa and implied that American Samoa was just an American appendix.<ref name=Migration>''Migration happens: reasons, effects and opportunities of Migration'', Katarina Ferro, Margot Wallner and Richard Bedford, 2006. p. 72</ref> Two members of American Samoa's legislature traveled to Apia in September 1997 to meet with Samoan head of State [[Malietoa Tanumafili II]], and lobbied to have the name change reversed in order to maintain peace and good relations.<ref name=Migration/> An American Samoan petition to the United Nations for a ban on Samoa's using the name Samoa was seriously discussed and ten American Samoan representatives sponsored an unsuccessful bill aimed at preventing American Samoa from recognizing independent Samoa's new name.<ref name=Migration/> The proposed American Samoan bill was criticized by independent Samoa's Prime Minister [[Tofilau Eti Alesana]] who called the bill "rash and irresponsible".<ref name=Migration/>

In 2002, New Zealand's prime minister [[Helen Clark]] formally apologized for two incidents during the period of New Zealand's administration: a failure in 1918 to [[quarantine]] the {{SS|Talune}}, which carried the [[Spanish flu]] to Samoa, leading to an epidemic which devastated the Samoan population, and the shooting of leaders of the non-violent [[Mau movement]] during a ceremonial procession in 1929.

In 2007, Samoa's first head of state, His Highness Malietoa Tanumafili II, died at age 94. He held this title jointly with [[Tupua Tamasese Meaʻole]] until the latter's death in 1963. Malietoa Tanumafili II was Samoa's Head of State for 45 years. He was the son of [[Malietoa Tanumafili I]], who was the last Samoan king recognized by Europe and the Western World.

Samoa's current head of state is His Highness [[Tuimalealiʻifano Vaʻaletoʻa Sualauvi II]], who was anointed the head of state title with the unanimous endorsement of Samoa's Parliament, a symbol of traditional Samoan protocol in alignment with Samoan decision-making stressing the importance of consensus in the 21st century.

In May 2021, [[Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa]] became Samoa's first female prime minister. Fiamē's [[Faʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi|FAST]] party narrowly won the [[2021 Samoan general election|election]], ending the rule of long-term Prime Minister [[Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/samoa-set-appoint-first-female-prime-minister-2021-05-17/|title = Samoa set to appoint first female prime minister|newspaper = Reuters|date = 17 May 2021}}</ref>  On 24 May 2021, she was sworn in as the new prime minister.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/24/asia/samoa-election-uncertainty-intl-hnk/index.html|title = Pacific island swears in its first female PM in a tent after she is locked out of Parliament| date=24 May 2021 }}</ref>

In August 2022, Samoa’s Legislative Assembly reappointed Tuimaleali’ifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II as the Head of State for a second term of five years.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ligaiula |first1=Pita |title=Tuimalealiifano reappointed as Samoa Head of State {{!}} PINA |url=https://pina.com.fj/2022/08/23/tuimalealiifano-reappointed-as-samoa-head-of-state/}}</ref>