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All 47 seats in the Legislative Assembly 24 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Constitution |
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General elections were held in Western Samoa on 5 April 1991, to determine the composition of the 11th Parliament. The elections were the first since the introduction of universal suffrage following a referendum held the previous year. However, candidates were still required to be Matai. The two main parties were the governing Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP), led by Prime Minister Tofilau Eti Alesana and the opposition Samoan National Development Party (SNDP), led by former Prime Minister Tupua Tamasese Efi.
Convinced it would remain in government, the HRPP campaigned on its accomplishments and promised to continue its numerous infrastructure projects, while the SNDP's campaign focused primarily on combating corruption. The elections were the first in which the government required voters to use an identification card to prevent fraud, as witnessed in previous elections. The HRPP retained power, winning 27 seats to the SNDP's 15, while independents won the remaining five. SNDP leader Tupua Tamasese Efi lost his seat, although he won back in a subsequent by-election after filing a successful electoral petition. Two independents and one SNDP defector joined the HRPP after the election, increasing its seat count to 30.