The election was held following the passage of electoral reforms, including the implementation of a parliamentary women's quota that requires the legislature to have at least five female members.

Because the TSP failed to win at least eight seats, it lost recognition as a parliamentary party, which left Samoa without an official opposition.

Following that election, all independents joined the HRPP,[4] while several individuals lost their seats due to electoral petitions.

[8] In February 2016, the TSP's chief whip and founder, Lealailepule Rimoni Aiafi, defected to the HRPP, citing a request to do so by his constituents of Faleata West.

Malielegaoi believed that Aiafi's defection and his status as a founder of the TSP provided the opposition with a significant disadvantage.

If this quota were unfulfilled following an election, the amendment permits parliament to establish up to five additional seats that would be allocated to the unsuccessful female candidates with the highest quantity of votes.

[13] Parliament passed legislation in 2014 barring candidates from providing gifts to villages within their constituency until after an election in an attempt to stamp out undue influence and prevent excessive electoral petitions that follow.

The abolition of the double-member seats reduced an imbalance of representation to a certain extent, as voters in these electorates were permitted to cast two votes.

During the redrawing process, a major priority was to ensure the boundaries remained organised around the traditional political districts, all of which were tied to matai titles, to prevent tensions from arising.

Voters could elect to enrol in a constituency rather than the one where they reside by right of significant family ties or matai titles.

Samoan citizens residing abroad were permitted to register,[17] but the government refused to entertain overseas voting.

The high quantity of Independents affiliated with the HRPP was due to the ruling party's policy of prioritising its incumbent members of parliament.

The party promised to implement numerous developments, including an increase in employment, particularly amongst the youth, by bolstering apprenticeship and vocational training schemes to improve the rates of business establishment.

The HRPP pledged to extend the age of compulsory education from 14 to 17 years and to proceed with constructing schools throughout the country.

This plan included a boost in training health professionals, upgrading healthcare facilities and encouraging robust lifestyles via exercise throughout the country.

Infrastructure development would continue under an additional term of the HRPP rule, including water sanitation, as would the party's efforts to combat climate change.

[25] During the campaign, Prime Minister Malielegaoi attacked the TSP's proposals, describing them as "weak" and "lacking substance."

Party Leader Faʻapo argued that the HRPP government's 'boasting' about the country's WS$2 billion GDP 'did not reflect positively on the minimum wage'.

[26][28] Palusalue announced that the TSP would finance these initiatives by reversing the government's "reckless spending" on "failed development projects".

[29] The party also vowed to abolish the three-year residency requirement that candidates must satisfy to be eligible to contest an election.

Although some candidates hired taxis for voters, the lack of available transportation resulted in a lower turnout than in previous elections.

Despite the ruling party's victory, several cabinet ministers lost re-election and half of the elected MPs were newcomers.

[37] The only independent who did not follow suit was Olo Fiti Vaai, who expressed that he was "saddened" by the TSP's overwhelming loss.

[45] Malielegaoi denied claims that his government had evolved into a dictatorship and pointed to a speech he presented in Savaiʻi during the campaign season to HRPP candidates warning them not to seek election to the legislative assembly if they only intend to use their office for "personal gains".

[47] On 5 March, the HRPP elected long-serving cabinet minister Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa deputy leader.

The TSP leader said the absence of an official opposition did not bode well for Samoa and made the country a "one-party state".

The former shadow minister of finance Afualo Wood Salele shared this sentiment, claiming that candidates offered bags of rice and other foods to voters.

Although re-elected to parliament, Deputy Prime Minister Fonotoe Pierre Lauofo was not reappointed to cabinet; he was previously fined for traffic offences in 2014.