Susuga Tuilaʻepa Lupesoliai Neioti Aiono Saʻilele Malielegaoi (born 14 February 1944)[1] is a Samoan politician and economist who served as the sixth prime minister of Samoa from 1998 to 2021.

[2] Tuilaʻepa lost his majority in the 2021 election but refused to leave office, leading to the 2021 Samoan constitutional crisis.

The crisis was resolved by Samoa's Court of Appeal on 23 July 2021, which ruled that Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa had been prime minister since 24 May.

His tenure as the opposition leader effectively ended in November 2022 after the speaker of parliament announced the legislature's recognition of Tuilaʻepa in the role had ceased due to his suspension.

[10] He then moved to Brussels, where he worked for the European Economic Community and for Coopers & Lybrand before winning election to the Samoan parliament in 1981.

[13] In 2012 Tuilaʻepa became Samoa's longest serving prime minister, surpassing the tenure of his predecessor, Tofilau Eti Alesana.

At the time of his electoral defeat in 2021, Tuilaʻepa was also the second longest serving incumbent prime minister in the world, only behind Cambodia's Hun Sen.[14] Tuilaʻepa has emerged as one of Oceania's most vocal critics of Fijian interim leader Commodore Frank Bainimarama, who came to power in the 2006 Fijian coup d'état.

[15] Tuilaʻepa cites numerous actions by Bainimarama to back up his criticisms, including rescinding assurances to leaders at a regional meeting in Tonga that elections would be held in May 2008.

[17][18][19] In June 2017, the Samoan Parliament passed a bill to increase support for Christianity in the country's constitution, including a reference to the Trinity.

Article 1 of the Samoan Constitution states that “Samoa is a Christian nation founded of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”.

According to The Diplomat, "What Samoa has done is shift references to Christianity into the body of the constitution, giving the text far more potential to be used in legal processes.

[24] Tuilaʻepa's government passed highly controversial legislation in 2009 to switch Samoan road use from right to left-hand traffic.

Opposition politicians also criticised it, arguing that it would not increase exports, and that it would in fact deprive Samoa of "its unique tourism selling point as the last place on earth to see the sun", just east of the Date Line.

Tuilaʻepa responded by calling opposition MP Lealailepule Rimoni Aiafi (of the Tautua Samoa Party) "very stupid", adding that "only an idiot" would fail to see the merits of the bill.

Deputy director of health Gaualofa Matalavea Saaga stated, "Having our case blasted out to the world is the last thing we want.

This subsequently showed the results for the HRPP and FAST tied with 25 seats each, and first term Independent MP Tuala Iosefo Ponifasio holding the balance of power.

[54] After only two sessions the talks reached an impasse, with Tuilaʻepa refusing to either leave the prime ministership or convene parliament unless all petitions were resolved.

[55] Due to various electoral court petitions, the HRPP's seat count in parliament fell from 25 to 17 whilst FAST maintained its 26-seat majority.

[61] On 23 March 2022 he was convicted alongside HRPP secretary Lealailepule Rimoni Aiafi of scandalising the court for his attacks on the judiciary during and following the constitutional crisis, but escaped penalty.

[68] In November 2022, speaker Papaliʻi declared that parliament no longer recognised Tuilaʻepa as the official opposition leader due to his suspension, effectively ending his tenure.

Vaʻai Papu had been critical of the HRPP's actions during the 2021 constitutional crisis, and stated that the party should be "ashamed" and accused them of using his father's image "in vain".

[73] The convoy was forced to turn around, when the villages of Salelologa and Sasina on Savaiʻi established roadblocks and refused the HRPP passage.

[75] He then accused FAST Chairman and Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Scientific Research, Laauli Leuatea Polataivao, of being the ‘mastermind’ behind the road blocks.

In response, Tuilaʻepa stated that whilst they can sack the C.E.O for a lack of cooperation with the minister, he would file a lawsuit against the ministry should they not have ‘strong reasons’ for carrying out this decision.

Once the Supreme Court recognised the ceremony as legal, uncertainty arose about whether the HRPP caucus would be able to be sworn in at the convention of parliament.

[85] Shortly before the prime minister's announcement, Tuilaʻepa wrote to the speaker of the legislative assembly Papaliʻi Liʻo Taeu Masipau, asserting that himself and the HRPP caucus intend to be sworn by the head of state once parliament convenes.

Tuilaʻepa also commented that not all UN proposals are ‘good and suitable’ for all nation-states, adding that "this is because the world is made of different people with different beliefs and from different ethnic groups."

Tuilaʻepa claimed that his permanent suspension violated the terms of the ‘Harmony Agreement’ signed by his party and FAST, which sought a resolution to the constitutional crisis of 2021.

Tuilaʻepa, who was absent from parliament when the suspension came into effect as he was in isolation following a trip to Ireland to attend the World Rugby Council meeting, stated his absence meant he could not defend himself, implying unfairness.

[107] The privileges and ethics committee subsequently reviewed Tuilaʻepa's case and recommended that he and Lealailepule be re-suspended without pay for 24 months.