Assembly fails to elect presiding member

Tepa (Ash), April 20, GNA-The Ahafo-Ano North District Assembly failed to elect a new presiding member after two rounds of voting in elections supervised by the Electoral Commission on Tuesday in Tepa. None of the three contestants was able to obtain the two-third majority votes required for a contestant to occupy the position. In the first voting, Mr Kwaku Fosu, 49, an education officer at the Kumasi Metropolitan Education Office, polled 22 votes, Mr Bismark Francis Osei, 52, headteacher of Asuhyiae Catholic primary school, obtained 16 votes and Mr Augustine Abu, 33, assemblyman at Mabang, had nine votes.

In the second balloting, Mr Fosu had 17 votes, Mr Osei, 19 votes and Mr Abu, 11 votes.

Mr Kwabena Asante Boahene, the District Electoral Officer, announced that another election would be organised within 21 days. Some assembly members told the GNA that they were dissatisfied with the outcome of the elections.

They, however, expressed the hope that there would be a compromise and understanding among the members and the contestants to enable the assembly to elect a new presiding member in their next elections. The tenure of office of the incumbent presiding member, Mr Eric Nana Agyemang Prempeh ended in September 2004 and he decided not to contest for the second term. 20 April, 05