By Staff Writer
The Office of the Electoral Commission officially opened its own administration building at Mulinu’u today Tuesday 15 June 2021.
The single story building cost close to $4m tala to design and build on the same spot the Lands and Titles Court House used to be.
The Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi in his opening address recalled how Cabinet decided to build an OEC office back in 2011.
“This was after the front porch of the old wooden Lands and Titles Office Building collapsed under the weight of voters in a last minute rush to register for the general elections,” PM Tuilaepa thought back.
A the time the OEC was set up at the old building built when Samoa was under the care of New Zealand before it became independent in 1962.
For the general elections that followed in 2016 and last April 2021 the OEC was forced to set up in several temporary locations that included the Tofilau Eti Alesana Building for the 2016 general elections.
In 2018 it was split up between the SNPF Plaza and the Development Bank Building until it took over the Tuanaimato Gymnasium to organise the general elections last April 2021,
Today’s official opening was attended by members of the caretaker Cabinet, head of Ministries and invited guests.