A total of seventy seven candidates have registered to run in the 2021 General Election, with five more days of nominations remaining.

The figures, confirmed by officials as accurate as of Saturday 17 October 2020, show Human Rights Protection Party (H.R.P.P.) candidates in the lead.

Saturday marked the end of the first week of nomination period.

At the end of registration, the Office of the Electoral Office’s second day back in Upolu, only six candidates had registered across the day. 

Five of them registered under the flag of the H.R.P.P. and one as an independent candidate.

Saturday was especially allocated, but not limited to, candidates from Faleata 2, Faleata 3, Faleata 4, Sagaga 1, and Sagaga 2.

Since the beginning of registrations on 13 October a total of eight women have registered.

So far, 35 candidates have registered from H.R.P.P.; 28 from the new political party, Faatuatua I le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (F.A.S.T.); five from Tautua Samoa and three independent candidates.

Nominations are held on the first floor of the S.N.P.F. Plaza in Apia in the Ministry of Public Enterprise (M.P.E.) conference room.

According to the Electoral Commissioner, Faimalomatumua Mathew Lemisio, a full list of candidates who have registered will only be available after the nomination period.

The first three days of the nomination period were spent in Savai'i where a total of 47 candidates were able to register.

The Office of the Electoral Commission encountered an "issue" on the first day which Faimalo claims "prolonged" the process of registration.

Therefore, he is urging the candidates who will be registering in the upcoming days to prepare all the papers and documents needed to register in advance.

"We're urging the other candidates who will be registering in the next couple of weeks to obtain their records from the Immigration to speed up the process," Faimalo said.

"If they bring in just their passports, it's really hard to tell the stamps and it prolongs the process, and we had to ask some of the candidates to obtain the records from the Immigration.

"But it would speed up the process and it makes it easier for us."

Nominations will continue on Monday.