The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly has elected a Presiding Member after earlier voting rounds failed to produce the required outcome.
The breakthrough came after sustained consultations involving the Kumasi Mayor, assembly members and government appointees, who worked towards consensus to ensure the Assembly could proceed with its business without further delay.
The contest had initially been between the incumbent Presiding Member and assembly member for the Krofrom East Electoral Area, Patrick Kwame Frimpong, and the representative for the Fante New Town Electoral Area, Baffour Ofori.
During the first round of voting, Mr Frimpong obtained 35 votes, while Mr Ofori secured 24. A second round saw Mr Frimpong’s tally rise slightly to 36 votes, with Mr Ofori polling 23 votes. However, neither round met the required threshold for election.
Following renewed engagements among stakeholders, Mr Ofori withdrew from the race, explaining that his decision was in the broader interest of unity and the effective functioning of the Assembly.
Subsequently, Patrick Kwame Frimpong stood unopposed and was endorsed with 58 “Yes” votes out of the 66 expected ballots. Not all eligible members were present for the vote held on Thursday, February 26.
The election clears the way for the Assembly to continue its administrative and developmental activities without further interruption.
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