Human Rights Protection Party
The Human Rights Protection Party is a Samoan political party. It was founded in 1979 and dominated Samoan party politics for decades thereafter, leading every government until their defeat in 2021. Former Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi has led the party since 1998.
History
and Tofilau Eti Alesana co-founded the party in May 1979 in opposition to the government of Tupuola Efi. It governed the country from first winning power in 1982 to 2021, except for a brief period in 1986 and 1987 when internal differences forced it into coalition.The two founders of the early party, Kolone and Alesana, both became Prime Ministers of Samoa.
The U.S. State Department's 2010 human rights report stated that the Human Rights Protection Party remained the only officially recognized party in the Legislative Assembly of Samoa as of that date.
After the April 2021 Samoan general election the HRPP refused to yield power to the newly elected government, triggering the 2021 Samoan constitutional crisis. The Court of Appeal ruled against the HRPP on 23 July 2021, allowing the opposition to belatedly take power.
In November 2022, MPs Ale Vena Ale and Tuʻuʻu Anasiʻi Leota resigned from the HRPP to become independents, saying they did not want to remain in a party led by a leader guilty of contempt of court.