By Emmanuel Gamson
Takoradi, Dec. 9, GNA – Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, the Western Regional Minister, and New Patriotic Party parliamentary candidate for Takoradi, has been retained as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the fifth consecutive term.
He polled 16,413 out of 31,930 total valid votes cast to beat his close contender, Mr Frederick Faustinus Faidoo of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), who garnered 15,517.
The total votes cast was 32,220 out of an expected 55,640, with 290 rejected ballots.
Mr Bernard Gyebi Wiredu, the Returning Officer for Takoradi Constituency, declared the Minister as winner of the parliamentary election after collating the results from all the 121 polling stations within the constituency.
His declaration was met with mixed reactions from some residents within the area who expressed varied views on the results.
While, some believed he deserved to continue as the MP, others felt another person needed to be given the chance to bring fresh ideas to develop the constituency.
Mr Emmanuel Mensah, a resident, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview that the Regional Minister had brought massive progress to the people of Takoradi, and that he was not surprised he was retained for the fifth time.
“Honourable Kobby has been doing a good job in this area, so for me, I was not surprised we voted for him again. He will continue to bring progress to the people of Takoradi,” he said.
Madam Rita Korankye, another resident, believed that a different candidate should have won because the current MP had not done enough for the people over the years.
She, however, expressed the hope that Mr Darko-Mensah would live up to expectations and put in place measures to spur growth and development within the constituency.
GNA