[2][3] The April 2021 elections resulted in a hung Parliament, with the HRPP and FAST each tied on 25 seats, with independent Tuala Iosefo Ponifasio holding the balance of power.

Ponifasio later joined the FAST Party,[4][5][6] but in the interim the Samoan Electoral Commission controversially declared the HRPP's Ali'imalemanu Alofa Tuuau elected due to the requirement that a minimum of 10% of seats in parliament must be held by women,[7] creating a 26–26 tie.

[1][11] FAST Party leader Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa denounced the calling of new elections, saying that it had been done to pre-empt the decision of the Supreme Court and that it was "wrong and unlawful [and] also threatens and undermines the rule of law".

[13] Following a formal complaint by deputy prime minister Tuala Iosefo Ponifasio, Tuila'epa, along with HRPP secretary Lealailepule Rimoni Aiafi, were permanently suspended from parliament on 24 May 2022 after the ethics and privileges committee found both individuals in contempt of parliament relating to their roles in the 2021 constitutional crisis.

[15][17] The HRPP began campaigning on 5 May, arguing that the re-election was necessary to pass a budget and ensure that public servants could be paid.

[18] The HRPP proposed banning access to Facebook and other social media for the campaign to prevent "disrespectful, repulsive and obscene language towards our leaders", claiming it was a matter of "national security".