TaMA elects PM after three unsuccessful attempts
The Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TaMA) has succeeded in electing a Presiding Member (PM) after three unsuccessful attempts in March this year.
The PM-elect, Abubakari Issah, is the Assemblyman for the Bilpela Electoral Area.
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He polled 45 votes out of the total votes of 46 to beat his contender, the Assemblyman for Lamashegu North Electoral Area, Sulemana Alhassan, who had no vote, with one rejected ballot.
Deadlock
At a special meeting held last Tuesday, two persons filed to contest the PM position.
The 62-member assembly failed to elect a PM after the first round of voting.
Mr Issah had polled 41 votes in the first round of voting to beat his contender, Mr Alhassan, who had only 16 votes.
Both failed to secure the two-thirds mark as a candidate needed 42 votes to meet the two-thirds requirement.
As a result of the deadlock, senior members of the assembly had to immediately convene a closed-door meeting to build consensus on the matter which lasted for about an hour.
When the house resumed sitting, some members of the assembly staged a walkout but the Electoral Commission (EC) went ahead with the exercise, which saw Mr Issah emerging as winner.
He was subsequently sworn into office by the magistrate of the Tamale Circuit Court, Issifu Amadu.
Open-door administration
In his victory speech, the newly elected PM called for unity among the members and promised to operate an open-door and all-inclusive policy.
He urged members to bury their differences and champion the business of the assembly.
Background
The TaMA has been without a PM since March following the expiration of the tenure of office of the incumbent PM, Mohammed Alhassan.
That affected the assembly significantly as it could not meet to make decisions for the development of the area.
Presiding members play a crucial role in the decentralisation process of the country.
Per Article 244 of the 1992 Constitution, all district assemblies are mandated to elect presiding members who will preside over meetings of the assemblies.
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