A former parliamentary speaker and cabinet minister says he will now leave the governing Human Rights Protection Party.
Samoa’s Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Photo: RNZ Pacific / Autagavaia Tipi Autagavaia
La'auli Leuatea Polataivao Schmidt says he has accepted the call from his constituency to leave the HRPP.
This comes after weeks of La'auli refusing to accept party leader and Prime Minister Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi's statement that the MP was no longer a caucus member.
According to the Prime Minister, La'auli had breached party policy by not supporting a constitutional amendment for a new division of constituencies to be put in place in next year's general election.
La'auli had said he refused to leave the HRPP because it was the decision of his constituency to join the party not Tuila'epa.
The former Minister of the Agriculture and Fisheries said he was communicating with his lawyers on the process before making a further announcement on the acceptance of his constituency's call for him to leave the HRPP.