Samoa's parliamentary speaker, Tolofuaivalelei Falemoe Lei'ataua, has disqualified all nine MPs of Tautua Samoa party from holding their seats and by elections will be called as a result.
This is the conclusion of an order made in January by the speaker for the independent MPs to declare which of them are members of the newly formed political party after the interim chairman, Lealailepule Rimoni Aiafi, has told parliament of the Tautua Samoa party being established.
The speaker said the actions of the MPs to become members of a new political party in the current five year parliamentary term has breached the provisions of the Electoral Act and the parliament standing orders.
The nine MPs who lost their seats in the ruling include a former government minister, Palusalue Fa'apo II, who left the ruling HRPP party because of strong opposition to the controversial road switch.
One of the four woman MPs, Fuimaono Na'oia Te'i, has also lost her seat
Tolofuaivalelei said his ruling would stop future breaches of the act by
parliamentarians and to avoid making a mockery of law .
Meanwhile a spokesman for the party, Lealailepule Rimoni Aiafi, says an interim injunction to stop the speaker's ruling will be filed in court soon.
