Election2000: 1,081 Vie For 200 Seats

A TOTAL of 1,081 candidates will contest the December 7 parliamentary election.

According to figures compiled by the Ghana News Agency (GNA), this is about 38.5 per cent up on the 1996 figure of 780.

The figures show that 64 candidates (12.2 per cent) are contesting as independent candidates while eight political parties are fielding the rest.

They are the National Democratic Congress (NDC), New Patriotic Party (NPP), Convention People's Party (CPP) and the National Reform Party (NRP).

The rest are People's National Convention (PNC), United Ghana Movement (UGM), Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) and EGLE Party.

In 1996, 7.3 per cent of the candidates stood on their own while eight political parties supported the rest.

However, the UGM did not contest the 1996 poll whilst the NRP did not exist then. The National Convention Party (NCP) and People's Convention Party (PCP), which contested the 1996 polls, have merged into the CPP. The Democratic People's Party, one of the three parties in the Progressive Alliance, which also includes the NDC and EGLE, fielded candidates.

The breakdown shows that the NDC is contesting all 200 seats this year and has retained about 75 per cent of its sitting MPs.

The EGLE party is contesting only one seat, Nkoranza in the Brong Ahafo Region, while GCPP is contesting three seats, Ablekuma Central in Greater Accra, Effutu in the Central Region and Navrongo Central in the Upper East Region.

The NPP is contesting 199 seats, CPP 191, NRP 173, PNC 145 and UGM 106.

The Greater Accra Region has 22 seats, Eastern Region 26, Western Region 19, Central Region 17, Ashanti 33, Brong Ahafo 21, Northern 23, Volta 19, Upper East 12 and Upper West eight.

Significantly, the UGM has fielded candidates in only 16 seats in Greater Accra, 10 in the Eastern Region, four in Western Region, eight in the Central Region, 16 in Ashanti and eight in Brong Ahafo.

Ashanti Region has the highest number of candidates, — 176 compared to 110 in 1996. Upper West has 37 candidates compared to 28 in 1996.

The oldest candidate is 74-year-old Isaac Duodo Awuah of the CPP, who is standing in the East Akim Constituency. Mr Mensah, at 72, is the second grand old man, while Mr Jonathan Owusu, 71, also of CPP in Asante Akim South, is the third oldest.

Mr Stephen Nkyibena, CPP candidate for Jaman and Dr Charles Vandyck, CPP, Sekondi sub-metro are 70.

The youngest candidates, who are both 23 years old, filed on the ticket of the PNC. They are: Akosua Wirekowah, Prestea/Huni-Valley and Mr Isaac Owusu for Odotobri.

The name of one candidate, Richard Akwasi Donkor (NRP) in Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai could not be traced in the register. He said he had registered during the revision exercise this year but had misplaced his voter ID card.

Another candidate, Mr George Essem-Koffie (CPP), submitted his forms a day after the exercise ended. He had sent them on September 13 but they were incomplete. — GNA.