Amid escalating political tensions and a parliament teetering in uncertainty, the Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) has begun unveiling their potential candidates to claim the role of the Speaker of the House. 

A video circulating on social media earlier this week showed the party's Secretary, during a meet-and-greet with HRPP supporters abroad, announcing that Loau Keneti Sio, the Member of Parliament for Sagaga No.1 has been appointed by the party as their candidate for Speaker. 

Meanwhile, Tologata Lupematasila Tile, MP for Falelatai and Samatau, has been named his deputy.

The announcement has sparked online debate and criticism from supporters of the ruling Fa'atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party. 

Addressing the media on Thursday, Opposition Leader Tuilaepa Dr. Sa'ilele Malielegaoi did not deny the contents of the video. 

Instead, he explained the rationale behind the move, stating that internal party discussions began after the government publicly announced its intention to remove the current Speaker Papali’i Li’o Ta’eu Masipau and his deputy over alleged misconduct and a lack of impartiality.

“There is a common political notion: you scratch my back, and I scratch yours,” Tuilaepa told reporters. 

“So what we are doing now is scratching each other’s backs and firing off our rockets. As you all may have been aware, the government has announced their plans to take the matter to court so they can have the Speaker removed. But we are also appalled by the fact that the Speaker has refused to step down, even after we took him to court five times and won those cases, challenging the decisions he made in parliament.

“Because the Prime Minister only has her cabinet ministers, and there’s no one else she could appoint as Speaker if her plan succeeds. There’s no way they could appoint a new Speaker from their drivers—it has to be from the current elected members of parliament. 

“And we all know that there is no way she will pick someone from the other faction of the FAST party because they can’t be trusted. They are trying to overthrow the government.”

The Opposition Leader also dismissed rumours of a political alliance between himself and Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa.

“Look, I can’t marry Fiame because I’m still legally married,” he joked. “But these are all political tactics—we call them firing rockets.”

While affirming Loau Keneti Sio as a strong candidate, Tuilaepa added that the party is still considering other names.

“We also looked at having Alaiasa Sepulona Moananu as another suitable candidate. Loau is also a great candidate for the role. But we haven’t finalised anything yet—we might even have a different candidate next week.”

Tuilaepa also brushed aside questions on the claims that he met with Prime Minister Fiame earlier this year to explore possible solutions to the ongoing political deadlock, during which he offered their support in exchange for securing the Speaker’s position.

Fiame confirmed that legal proceedings are underway against the Speaker after he rejected a motion of no confidence from the cabinet. She has not ruled out selecting a new Speaker from the Opposition given her current numerical disadvantage in parliament.