election candidates

Some of the individuals were endorsed by the Electoral Commissioner, Faimalomatumua Mathew Lemisio.

However, some petitions challenged the Commissioner's rejection of several candidates for failing to meet a three-year residency requirement as well as the monotaga or village service.

Two cases are questioning the rejection of nomination because of traffic convictions.

The total number of candidates has been released by the office of the Electoral Commissioner at the closing of nomination at 12noon Friday.

The ruling HRPP party is top in the number of nominations with 114 candidates, while the Faatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi party has fifty candidates.

The former opposition Tautua Samoa party in the 2011 to 2016 parliamentary term has 14 running.

Six candidates are registered to run under the Samoa First party as well as one for the Sovereign Independent Samoa party.

Faaulusau Rosa Duffy Stowers is one of the only two candidates nominated for Gagaifomauga number 3 constituency.

The speaker, La'auli Leuatea Polataivao, challenged her candidacy in court, testifying that his opponent was not qualified because she did not meet the three-year requirement relating to village service or monotaga.

The ruling Human Rights Protection Party or HRPP announced 121 candidates for the election which included 80 who would be running under the party's banner and 41 independent candidates.

This total number included the 34 HRPP MPs of the dissolved 15th Parliament who would be seeking re-election.