Central Region produces only one female parliamentarian

Cape Coast, Dec 9, GNA - The number of parliamentary seats occupied by women in the Central Region has fallen from two to one following the outcome of this year's election. All the five new female parliamentary candidates in the region had lost their seats in their respective constituencies. Of the region's 19 constituencies, Mrs Elizabeth Amoah-Tetteh, the incumbent National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentarian for the Twifo-Atti-Mokwaa would be the only female from the region to enter the next parliament. She won and retained her seat with 15,356 votes.

The Cape Coast constituency seat, which had been occupied by Ms Christine Churcher of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) since 1996, was taken by the NDC candidate Mr Ebo Barton-Odro, a 56-year old legal practitioner.

Of the remaining female candidates, Madam Sabina Appiah-Kubi, a 50-year old trader, lost her bid for the Assin-South constituency to the NPP incumbent, Professor Dominic Fobih, Minister of Education Science and Sports. She polled 13,392 votes as against Prof. Fobih's 17,741.

In the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa constituency, 49-year old Mrs Georgina Nkrumah Aboah on the ticket of the NDC, and 53-year old Mrs Comfort Wilson Aggrey of the CPP, both teachers, lost to the NPP's incumbent, 65, Mr Paul Collins Appiah Ofori. Mrs Aboah and Mrs Wilson polled 17,724 and 720 respectively as against Mr Appiah-Ofori's 18,095.

Thirty-six year old Madam Susana Keelson-Aikins, also a teacher, polled 170 votes on the ticket of the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) as against 18,951 by the NPP incumbent, Mr Samuel Obodai who is also the Deputy Regional Minister.

Madam Augustina Ampong, a 38-year old farmer, who stood on the ticket of the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) in the Upper-Denkyira-East constituency failed in her bid, when she polled just 89 of the total of 29,535 ballots cast.

Expressing her views on the issue, Mrs Nancy Thompson, a retired educationist told the Ghana News Agency that political parties in the region did not campaign much for their female aspirants. She noted that the NPP did not fill any female candidate in the region. Mrs Thompson, a former headmistress of the Wesley Girls High School, described the situation as unfortunate and urged men to support and encourage more women to enter politics. She said women are timid when it came to politics and it behoved on the men to encourage them in their political aspirations adding that the talk about women empowerment should not be mere lip-service. Nana Ama Amissah, queen of Mankessim Traditional Area and president of the Regional Queenmothers Association said most women were hesitant to support other women because when they assumed leadership positions they tend to look down on their less fortunate counterparts.

She said, as a result, many of them would rather back their male political aspirants because they considered them to be more approachable and understanding.