By Grace Tinetali-Fiavaai, RNZ Pacific reporter in Apia, Samoa
Voting commenced in Samoa’s general election today, with more than 100,000 eligible voters heading to the polls to decide the country’s next government.
A total of 187 candidates will contest 50 seats in Parliament, representing six political parties and 46 independents. The governing FAST Party leads the field with 58 candidates, followed closely by the HRPP with 50.
Caretaker Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa’s Samoa United Party has 26 candidates, while the Samoa Labour Party has five.
The Electoral Office says over 400 polling stations have been set up, and some 1300 polling officials and around 500 police officers are on duty to maintain order.
On the eve of voting, the villages were calm, with councils gathering for evening prayers to pray for election day.
The RNZ Pacific team on the ground spoke to voters who cast their votes this morning.
Some expressed happiness at being able to exercise their right to vote, while others were quite patriotic and said they prayed for God to bless the election.
One voter said they just wanted the election to be over.
Polling closes at 3pm local time (2pm NZT).
Meanwhile, the first seat has been declared after early voting ended on Wednesday.
The Office of the Electoral Commission announced Leatinuu Wayne So’oialo as the holder of the Faleata 2 seat.
This is following an earlier Supreme Court decision to disqualify the other nominated candidates due to ineligibility, meaning the electoral constituancy of Faleata 2 is being marked as uncontested.
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.