Suhum Constituency battleground for supremacy
Gradually, this year’s general election is approaching with the various political parties girding their loins to face the battle ahead, particularly in the various constituencies.
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In the Eastern Region, one constituency that is expected to be severely fought for by the two major political parties, namely the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), is Suhum.
The constituency has from the 2004 to 2012 elections been a battleground for the two parties but the NPP has always trounced the NDC although the results have been close.
Voting trends
In the 2004 parliamentary election, the NPP obtained 21,720 with the NDC getting 17,125. This was again manifested in 2008 with the NPP garnering 17,461, while the NDC obtained 15,824.
Perhaps, buoyed by this, the NDC marshalled every arsenal to break the hegemony of the NPP but could not as the NPP candidate, Mr Frederick Opare–Ansah, polled 24,046, votes representing 49.28 per cent, while the then NDC candidate, Mr Julius Debrah, now the Chief of Staff at the Presidency, had 23,658 representing 48.49 per cent.
Although it is being argued that Mr Debrah’s political weight contributed to the close nature of the result, other political pundits believed the current parliamentary candidate of the NDC, Madam Magarete Ansei popularly known as (Magoo), has the clout to win the seat because she was able to beat the sitting Suhum Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Samuel Fleischer Okwabi, during the NDC parliamentary primary.
To such pundits, this lends credence to the fact that the battle would be closely fought more so when she now doubles as the municipal chief executive.
Brief profiles
Mr Opare–Ansah is a third timer in Parliament who is contesting for the fourth time. He is an engineer and in Parliament serves on a number of committees which include the Finance, Communications and Business Committees among others.
Mrs Ansei is the first woman to be nominated and elected MCE for Suhum. She holds a Master’s degree in International Trade from the Anhalt University in Germany.
Suhum Constituency
The constituency as of June 2012 had a projected population of 87,000 made up of 43,152 males and 43,848 females. The major ethnic groups and the proportion of the population are Akan (37.4%), Ga–Adangbe (25.6%), Guan (17.4%) and Ewe (17.4%).
