Seven Parties Registered to Contest in Samoa’s General Elections

By Law, all parties must have 8 elected members before they are recognised in Parliament..

June 11, 2025

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When registrations closed for political parties in the lead-up to the upcoming Samoa General Elections last Friday 6 June 2025, seven political parties had formally registered with the Office of the Electoral Commission.

Three parties are well knowns to the race – the long established HRPP who held 18 seats before the dissolution of Parliament, the current FAST party who held 20 seats including the Speaker after the break-up, and the newly launched SUP party uniting 15 MPs of the caretaker government.

Two parties were registered in the past week being the Samoa Labour Party made up of break-away HRPP members, and the Tumua ma Pule Republican Reform Party. The other two parties could be mistaken as inactive.

Human Rights Protection Party: HRPP led by former Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi.
Faatuatua i Le Atua Samoa ua Tasi: FAST led by former Minister of Agriculture Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Schmidt.
Samoa Ua Potopoto – Samoa Uniting Party: SUP led by caretaker Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa.
Samoa Labour Party: SLP led by former HRPP Minister of Justice and Courts Administration, Faaolasa Katopau Ainuu.
Tumua ma Pule Republican Reform Party: TPRRP led by Molioo Pio Molioo who is the husband of former FAST Minister of Finance Mulipola Anarosa Ale-Molioo.
Constitutional Democratic Republic Party: CDRP registered during the 2023 byelections and ran one candidate from Fagaloa district.
Samoa National Development Party: SNDP which used to be led by Valasi Toogamaga Tafito who joined FAST post 2021 elections and is currently the caretaker Minister of Health and pledged to SUP.

The current law enacted under the HRPP requires political parties to have at least 8 elected MPs before they can be recognised by Parliament. If there is a party with less than 8 elected members following the general election, then they shall be registered as Independent MPs.

Samoa will hold pre-polling on Wednesday 27th August, and go to the polls on Friday 29th August 2025.

The re-registration all citizens in efforts to clean up the Electoral Roll has the OEC working 9am to 8pm daily at Tuanaimato Gym 1 and the Ground Floor Conference Room of the TATTE Building in Apia.

Those who are eligible to vote but do not register face a fine of $2,000 tala. Those who do register but do not turn up to vote on the 29th of August face a fine of $100 tala.

Following Samoa’s last general election in 2021, the OEC issued $100 tala fines to over 2,000 citizens.