By Martha Taumata Faavae
Overseas Samoan citizens wishing to vote in the April general elections are doubtful of doing so even if they catch the last repatriation flight arriving from New Zealand this Friday 5 March 2021.
Entry is allowed only to returning citizens living in Samoa or expatriates with working contracts in the country.
No return travels are allowed even for Samoan passport holders arriving just to cast votes and then hop back on the flight out of Samoa.
NEOC Chairman Agafili Shem Leo did confirm inquiries from overseas based citizens for any special election flights.
“The only flights allowed are already scheduled so they will have to make travel arrangements for any of them,” Agafili explained when asked by Newsline Samoa about it.
“The flight on the 5th March 2021 is the last one we have scheduled before we close down until after the general elections.”
NEOC is awaiting the arrival of CVOID-19 vaccine any day soon and plans to administer the treatment quickly is expected to be a very busy time.
Frontline workers who normally attend to the repatriation flights are the first in line for injection of the vaccine.
The workers are targetted as the most exposed to the virus from the returning travellers in their line of work.
“All arrivals into the country have to observe three weeks of being isolated in quarantine for health safety requirements,” Agafili reminded.
“There are no special exemptions for overseas based voters allowed into the country just to vote.”
Election interest is on a frenzy on social media with most of the thrust bursting from the Samoan diaspora in New Zealand and Australia.
It is unclear for now the number of overseas based voters eligible to vote when the country goes to the poll in just over a month’s time.
Voting from outside Samoa is not allowed. All votes are cast inside the country and overseas based Samoan voters have to make the trip home to vote.