Samoa’s Electoral Commissioner has confirmed that 191 candidates have registered to contest the 51 seats in parliament in next month’s general elections.
Tuiafelolo John Stanley told the Samoa Observer that his office had rejected only one nomination when nominations closed Saturday, July 12.
“As of right now, the team is currently going through it so that all the information they have is correct—their matai names, constituencies, and their villages,” said Tuiafelolo.
The Faatuatua I le Atua Samoa ua Tasi party have registered candidates in every electorate, while the Human Rights Protection Party have registered in all but one, choosing not to contest the Lotofaga seat held by Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa.
Fiame’s own newly formed Samoa Uniting Party has not registered candidates in all constituencies.
A total of 21 women have registered as candidates.
The one nomination that was rejected was that a female candidate who did not meet the legal requirement of holding her matai title for at least three years prior to nomination.
The rejected candidate had only held her title for one year.
