By Bertha Badu-Agyei, GNA
Koforidua, Jan 19, GNA – Fifty-five women were elected as assembly members out of the 165 females who contested in last year’s District Level Elections (DLE) in the 33 districts of the Eastern Region.
However, Lower-Manya Krobo, Suhum, Abuakwa North, Fanteakwa South, Kwahu-East and Kwahu-South did not have any elected women, even though some women filed nominations and contested in some of those districts in the DLE.
Two of these districts did not have any female candidate contesting, which were Abuakwa North and Lower-Manya Krobo, where the only female contestant withdrew a few days before the elections.
Statistics the Ghana News Agency obtained from the Eastern Regional Office of the Electoral Commission (EC) indicated that West Akim District had the highest of six women elected.
This was followed by Asuogyaman with five, Ayensuano, four, and Okere, Achiase, Kwaebibrem, Atiwa East and Afram Plains South, which had three elected females each.
With the Unit Committee Elections 561 women were elected across the 33 administrative districts.
New Juaben South topped with 39 women, followed by Nsawam-Adoagyiri with 37.
The 165 women who contested in the region, represented 6.12 per cent of the total number of candidates, which had 2,530 male candidates (93.88 per cent) contesting.
In all the 33 districts, women in the contest recorded very low numbers compared to the males with an average percentage ranging from zero to four percent.
In the Unit Committee elections, 1,395 females (20.82 per cent) out of 6,701 filed to contest at that level, with Nsawam-Adoagyiri having the highest figure of 247 Women, followed by Kwahu-South, 192, and Lower-Manya Krobo, 185.
GNA