Members of the Human Rights Protection Party met for a post-election caucus on Sunday night at the party’s ‘Maota i Petesa’ headquarters in Sogi.

Party leader and caretaker Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi met with members of the H.R.P.P. for their first caucus since preliminary results of the 2021 General Election were released last Friday.

The meeting started with a prayer, followed by refreshments. Among the attendees were caretaker Minister of Tourism, Sala Fata Pinati, the M.P. for Faleata No. 3, Lealailepule Rimoni Aiafi and the caretaker Minister of Communications and Information Technology Afamasaga Rico Tupa’i as well as some of the party’s candidates.

Samoa Observer visited the H.R.P.P. headquarters several times on Sunday afternoon – in the attempt to interview Tuilaepa and some of the party’s winning candidates – but were denied entry to the premises and instructed by a police officer to return after the prayer service and caucus were complete.

After two hours of waiting outside, another police officer approached the Samoa Observer vehicle parked in front of the party’s headquarters outside its gate to advise that the newspaper was not permitted to take photos, even outside the party headquarter’s premises.

Initially, the caretaker Prime Minister invited the media to see him on Saturday during a press conference on Friday evening of the election day. 

However, Lealailepule later confirmed that the meeting would not take place on Saturday due to the general election and that members were resting and the party caucus was later confirmed for Sunday.

According to preliminary ballot counts, the H.R.P.P. and the Faatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (F.A.S.T.) party are tied on 25 seats each. 

The total number of candidates who contested in the April 9 General Election is 188 who were running in 48 constituencies. The 188 excludes Lealailepule, the caretaker Prime Minister and the F.A.S.T. party leader Fiame Naomi Mataafa who all ran unopposed.

The H.R.P.P. had the largest number of candidates contesting the general election with 106 followed by F.A.S.T. party with 50, Tautua Samoa Party 14, five from the Samoa First Political Party , one from the Sovereign Independent Samoa and 15 independent candidates.