Tanumafili II held office as Head of State of Samoa from 1962 until his death in 2007, making him one of the longest-serving heads of state in the world at the time. Unlike his successor Tuilagi Faleolo Eti Alesana Tupuola, who was elected by parliament, Tanumafili II held the position for life under a special provision of the 1962 constitution — a concession to the traditional chiefly system that was not extended beyond him.
Tanumafili II held office as Head of State of Samoa from 1962 until his death in 2007, making him one of the longest-serving heads of state in the world at the time. Unlike his successor Tuilagi Faleolo Eti Alesana Tupuola, who was elected by parliament, Tanumafili II held the position for life under a special provision of the 1962 constitution — a concession to the traditional chiefly system that was not extended beyond him.