The Independent Candidate, Fo'isala Lilo Tu'u Ioane has maintained his lead in the Gagaifomauga No. 2 by-election and won by over 60 votes from his nearest rival.

At the conclusion of the official counting at the Stevensons Hotel in Manase, Savai'i on Saturday afternoon, official results sees Fo'isala close out his by-election lead with a total of 441 votes. 

The Human Rights Protection Party (H.R.P.P.) candidate So'oalo Fineaso Poka collected 380 votes to be the runner-up. 

The other Independent candidate, Falesaopule Vaialia Iosua collected 287 votes while Fa'atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (F.A.S.T.) party-endorsed Lomia Tauloa Moafanua got 259 votes.

Out of the 2,031 eligible voters registered on the constituency's electoral roll only 1,370 people voted in the by-election on Friday and pre-polling last Wednesday. 

Fo'isala, a 50-year-old businessman and farmer from Lefagaoali'i in Savai'i i, told the Samoa Observer last week that he did not take his decision to run for public office lightly and it was the elders of his village of Lefagaoali'i who pressured him to consider politics.

"I am a Samoan matai who stays here in the village," Fo'isala told the Samoa Observer last week Saturday. "I had plans to contest in the General Election last year. 

"However, because of personal reasons, I decided not to but now that we are heading back to the polls, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to pursue that dream of becoming a Member of Parliament. 

"But to tell you the truth, it is the pressure from the elders of our village that made me want to contest, they have asked me time and time again to run and I don't want to be ignorant and refused their requests."

This is a developing story.......