The Aleipata electoral constituencies remain a stronghold for the Human Rights Protection Party (H.R.P.P.), according to the unofficial count of ballots released by Office of Electoral Commission.

While the H.R.P.P. has held onto its two Aleipata seats – Aleipata Itupa i Luga and Aleipata Itupa i Lalo – the XVII Parliament will see new H.R.P.P. faces: Fuaava Suluimalo Amataga for Aleipata Itupa i Luga, and Fiugalu Eteuati Eteuati for Aleipata Itupa i Lalo.

That's if the numbers do not change during the official count by the O.E.C. this week.

Fuaava and Fiugalu replace members of the now-dissolved XVI Parliament, Amituana’i Kenrick Samu (Aleipata Itupa i Luga) and Tafua Maluelue Tafua (Aleipata Itupa i Lalo). 

In the Aleipata Itupa i Luga race, the only party that contested the seat was the H.R.P.P. The candidates were Amituana’i, Fuaava and Taua Edmund Taufua.

Aleipata Itupa i Luga includes: Lalomanu, Ulutogia and Vailoa.

Amituana’i had the fewest votes among the candidates: 269. Taua garnered 406 votes and Fuaava had 519 votes.

Five out of the total seven candidates who ran in the two Aleipata electoral constituencies are members of the H.R.P.P.

The Tautua Samoa political party and the Faatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (F.A.S.T.) political party each fielded one candidate in the Aleipata Itupa i Lalo race.

Aleipata Itupa i Lalo is comprised of Amaile, Lotopue, Malaela, Mutiatele, Salea'aumua, Samusu, Satitoa, Tiavea and Utufa'alalafa.

F.A.S.T. candidate Tauiliili Kolose Fruean (199 votes) beat only the Tautua candidate Sua Samuelu Sua (178 votes) in the contest for Aleipata Itupa i Lalo.

The Aleipata Itupa i Lalo race was primarily between outgoing Tafua who garnered 762 ballots and Fiugalu who collected 791 votes.

Additional H.R.P.P. strongholds, electoral constituencies where only the H.R.P.P. and no other political parties fielded candidates are: Vaimauga No.1, Faasaleleaga No.5 and Satupaitea.

In Vaimauga No.1, we saw the return of member of the XVI Parliament, Sulamanaia Fetiai Tuivasa, who beat his two fellow H.R.P.P. members with 1,282 votes. 

Sulmanaia defeated Fuatimau Maumea Leniu who collected 958 votes and Tuisugaletaua Maposua Aveau who received 513 votes.

In the race for the Faasaleleaga No.5 seat, Peseta Vaifou Tavagaena garnered 442 votes, defeating Matafeo Seinafolava Matafeo who had 370 votes and Vui Seinafolava Lameko’s 352 votes.

In the Satupaitea race, there were only two candidates: caretaker Minister of Commerce, Industry and Labour, Lautafi Selafi Purcell and Tavui Asiata Salevao, who are both with the H.R.P.P.

Lautafi, who is also the caretaker Minister of Public Enterprises (M.P.E.), kept his seat by besting Tavui by a fairly close margin of 62 votes. 

Tavui garnered 440 votes, not enough to take the Satupaitea seat from Lautafi who had 502 votes. 

Upon completion of the unofficial count last week, H.R.P.P. had 25 seats and F.A.S.T. had 25 seats. 

Independent member-to-be Tuala Tevaga Ponifasio (Gagaemauga No. 1) claimed the 51st seat. 

The O.E.C. kicked off their official count on Monday with the official results for each electoral constituency to be released later in the week.

All numbers contained in this news report are unofficial.