The Tautua Samoa Party has filed two petitions against election opponents in the Faatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (F.A.S.T.) party.

One is from the party leader, Afualo Dr. Wood Salele petitioning against Fepuleai Faasavalu Sua in Salega No. 1, and the other is from Tupai Avala Savaiinaea against Mulipola Anarosa Molioo in Palauli No. 1.

They make up two out of 28 electoral petitions filed on Friday, three weeks after Samoa voted in the 2021 General Election.

Last week Tautua Samoa called on F.A.S.T. to honour a verbal agreement to cooperate for the election, including an understanding that the bigger party would stand candidates in the constituencies it wanted to, without competition from Tautua candidates. 

Afualo could not be reached for comment on Saturday.

In a press conference on Saturday, F.A.S.T. party leader Fiame Naomi Mataafa said she was not surprised about Tautua’s two petitions, adding that no one working in Parliament for as long as she has would be surprised by anything. 

But she said the party’s move to continue fighting even after such a loss as was seen in the General Election is extraordinary.

She also pointed out that their leader Afualo did not succeed in his last election bid but did not resign as leader and yet tried to run for Parliament again this year. 

Last week, she told reporters she was confused by Afualo's earlier comments, saying she does not know how the two parties might work together considering none of their candidates won a seat in the election.

In Salega No. 1, Afualo missed out on a win by just eight votes to Fepuleai’s 381.

A Human Rights Protection Party candidate, Toomata Aki Tuipea, won 735 votes, also narrowly beating Afualo. He is not petitioning Fepueali. 

In Palauli No. 1, Tupai finished election night with 460 votes, 252 votes behind Mulipola.

Of the seven candidates who ran in Palauli No. 1, just one other came close to Tupai’s total: Leotamausala Lene Leota, who ran as an independent and won 439 votes. 

Fepuleai and Mulipola have until next Friday 07 May to file a counter-petition against the two Tautua members if they wish. 

F.A.S.T. is also facing 11 petitions from Human Rights Protection Party members (H.R.P.P.), and one from an Independent candidate. 

The party has filed 10 petitions of their own, all against H.R.P.P. members.