Ruling party retains power in Samoa

SAMOA: Samoa's long-ruling Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) has retained its grip on power in a general election, according to provisional results released Saturday.

The HRPP, which has governed for nearly 30 years, won a majority 36 seats in the 49-seat parliament with the backing of six independent MPs who had declared their support ahead of Friday's poll.

But in an election where parties can put up more than one candidate per seat only 16 incumbent HRPP lawmakers were returned and three cabinet ministers were among those voted out.

"This is the challenge to the HRPP members of parliament that their constituencies are watching," party leader and Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi said.

"If the member isn't up to the task the constituency will nominate another to replace them in the future election. "It's a warning that if we are complacent that the power is with our constituencies to change who they vote for and who their representatives will be."

In the last election in 2006 the HRPP controlled 35 seats with the support of only four independents.

The newly formed Tautua Samoa Party, which campaigned on reducing the cost of living in the Pacific island nation, won 13 seats, not enough to stop the HRPP from holding the two-thirds majority required to change the constitution."The people have spoken overwhelmingly," Tuilaepa said of his party's success. "The two-thirds majority again testifies to that confidence, and we will continue over the next five years with our programs and look beyond the next election."

Apia, Sunday, AFP