Fiame Naomi Mata'afa, the first female premier in history in Samoa, was sworn in in an impromptu ceremony held in a tent in the Parliament gardens of the capital Apia after the government barred the building's doors in protest over the his election.
The ad hoc ceremony - which risks ending up in a courtroom - concludes six weeks of legal and political disputes following the elections that marked the defeat of the former prime minister, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, in power for 22 years.
However, despite the defeat, the former prime minister refuses to give up his post, almost inciting a coup. New Zealand and Australia have called for calm and respect for the rule of law. After she was barred from entering Parliament, Mata'afa and her delegation sat for hours in a large marquee in the Parliament gardens while supporters sang hymns under police supervision. They were then sworn in one by one during a ceremony that had all the trappings of officialdom in spite of the location and which was quickly rejected by rivals.