Following the unsuccessful election of a Presiding Member (PM) in the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly in the Upper East Region, on the 22nd of April 2022, the Municipal Chief Executive Rex S.A Asanga has attributed the situation to the deepened partisan division among Assembly members.
Mr Asanga said, considering what happened with regard to the PMr election, it is clear that the Assembly members are divided along party lines. He was quick to add that the failure to elect a presiding member does not however mean that there’s a disunity among Assembly Members.
According to the MCE, it is due to differences in views and thoughts among the Assembly members, which he says, is based on partisan lines.
“I don’t think there is disunity. It simply is, as I said, a situation where people have very strong views. Somebody wants to be a Presiding Member at all cost, and the other also thinks that it is his turn. The thing has become partisan, so for the two parties, it is like a challenge. One side does not want to give up to the other side,” he told the media.
Mr Rex Asanga, however, believes that at the next meeting, Assembly Members would come together and build consensuses in order to elect a Presiding Member successful.
Mr. Asanga stated that he has a very good working relationship with all the Assembly members, and thus used the opportunity to be a mediator between the two groups.
It would be recalled that after the two rounds of voting, none of the two contestants attained the required two-thirds (⅔) of valid votes from the total votes.
The results of the first round are as follows; Asaare Francis Akolbila, Assembly Member for the Yikene Electoral Area obtained 19 votes. Aduko Francis Ayine, Assembly Member for the Basengo/ Nyorkor electoral obtained 21 votes. The total votes cast were 40.
The assembly members were expected to reconvene for the second round.
After the second round of voting, Aduko Francis Ayine had 18 votes while Asaare Francis Akolbila had 20 votes. The total votes cast were 38. 2 persons did not vote.
This means that the Assembly has failed to elect a Presiding Member (PM). The Assembly would have to reconvene within ten days to consider the election of the Presiding Member.
If the Assembly Members again fail to elect a PM, it is expected that new nominations would have to be done.
Source:A1Radioonline.Com|101.1MHZ|David Azure| Bolgatanga|
