Spice Up Close: Over 1,180,000 voters to decide the fate of 62 Parliamentary hopeful in W/R

Sixty-two (62) persons from eight (8) political parties filed their nomination forms for the Parliamentary race in the Western Region to contest for the 7th December general elections as at the closing of nomination by the Ghana’s Electoral Commission (EC) on Friday, 9th October, 2020 at 5pm. 

Meanwhile, the 62  includes two (2) Independent candidates (Tarkwa-Nsuaem Constituency and Jomoro Constituency) who also filed their nomination forms for the Parliamentary race to contest in the December 07, general elections.

Eight political parties were also able to feature candidates to contest in the Parliamentary race in the region – NPP, NDC, PPP, GUM, NDP, CPP, GCPP and APC. 

Meanwhile, among the 62 candidates filed to contest the Parliamentary race in the region are nine (9) females with one going as Independent candidate.

The EC on Friday, 9th October, 2020 at 5:00 pm, closed the nominations with 13 political parties having filed their nomination forms for the Presidential race to contest for the 7th December general elections, while four (4) Independent candidates also filed their nomination forms for the Presidential race to contest.

Meanwhile, the EC registered 1,185,315 people during the compilation of the new voters’ register out of the 1.2 million people expected to register with the Commission in the region.

This does not include the one-day re-registration exercise to enable those who could not take part in the formal exercise.

Out of the total registered number, 599,658 were male and 585,657 being female while the number of persons with disability stood at 3,655. 

At the end of the six phase exercise, 878,061 used their Ghana card to register while those with passports recorded were 9,557. About 1,248 people have been challenged and 297,697 registrants registering through guarantors.

This means that the over 1,185,315 registered voters would have to choose among the 62 candidates to decide who they want to represent them in Parliament in the December polls.

Comparatively, each candidate would be expected to garner at least about 19,117 votes as equal share among them. Some have been able to secure more votes beyond the figure but with the new entrants coming on board, they will have to work harder.

Since the Western Region was splitted, there has been a new set of elements that could influence the chances of both the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The new faces, some of whom are much exposed to Ghanaian politics and others totally new to the political landscape, will have their constituencies being a target for a serious competition. But for both political parties, these persons have been elected to contest in their respective constituencies come December 7, 2020.

One of such new candidates is the NDC’s Lawyer Frederick F. Faidoo (Esq) of the Takoradi Constituency to contest with the NPP’s Dr. Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah (Incumbent) who also doubles as the Western Regional Minister and was elected into office in 2008, having maintained his seat for a third time. 

The Takoradi Constituency is one of the domineering and secured seats for the NPP in the Western Region and has always been falling for the NPP since its creation.

However, Mr. Darko-Mensah will have to work extra hard to garner more votes since the Presidential candidate has been getting more votes than the parliamentary candidate in the constituency even though he was the best MP elected in the region for the 2016 parliamentary elections. 

For instance, in the 2008 elections, the parliamentary candidate had 22,704 (58.9%) while Nana Addo had 23,349 (62.35%) and 24,461 (62.96%) in the run-off.

In the 2012 general elections, the presidential candidate garnered 25,760 (60.55%) while the parliamentary candidate had 25,958 (61.04%) being the only time the parliamentary candidate’s votes went up over the presidential candidate.

Meanwhile, in the 2016 general elections, the presidential candidate had 27,350 (69.80%) with that of the parliamentary candidate as 27,169 (69.42%). 

Story: Seth Ameyaw Danquah