The strength of the fono as a mechanism to guarantee accountability in the village and in the council lies in several respects. The members of the council are not elected, they are appointed by the members of their respective families as chiefs for life. They are therefore members of the council throughout their entire lives, unlcss they are banned from the council or dishonoured by their families. Council members do not have to go through a political campaign in which they may be forced to make unrealistic promises to the voters as in the case of a parliamentary system. Nor are they obligated to look for financial support from individuals and organizations to fund their election campaign. Hence, when making villagers, families or council members accountable for violating a council's decision there is no pressure to manipulate the process to exonerate the offender because he/she is a voter or a financial sponsor for an election campaign.
Another quality of the fono is the absence of political parties. Unlike the parliamentary model where partisanship features prominently, the fono can be seen as a "one-party institution. This makes the accountability process effective and robust. There are no hidden political agendas amongst some members of the council to bail out an offender because of affiliation to their political parties. Council members irrespective of their status in the council and the village are therefore subjected to the same process and treatment. While there are rivalries, bickering, bargaining and coalition amongst chiefs internally at times, the system is transparent enough to keep the council in line with the values and principles underpinning its constitution.