Wassa-Akropong (W/R), Nov 5, GNA - Mr. Emmanuel Duku, 51, a government appointee to the Wassa Amenfi East District Assembly, has been elected the presiding member of the assembly after a closely contested election.

In the first round of voting Mr. Duku polled 17 votes representing 54.8 per cent of the total votes cast as against 12 votes representing 38.7 per cent by Mr John Kwesi Appiah-Amponsah, the incumbent. One vote was rejected.

Both contestants failed to obtain the required two-third of the votes in the second round of voting during which Mr. Duku increased his votes to 20 representing 64.5 per cent while Mr. Appiah-Amponsah got nine votes or 29.0 per cent.

One vote was again rejected.

When the third round voting was about to commence Mr. Appiah-Amponsah announced his withdrawal from the race and assembly members greeted this with applause, followed by jubilation by supporters of Mr. Duku. Mr Duku, who is an official of the World Vision-Ghana, a non-governmental organisation, promised to work hard to strengthen sub-structures of the assembly.

He said he would ensure that the assembly worked closely with other institutions to enhance internal revenue generation. Madam Brigitte Ayipah, the only woman elected to the assembly, told the Ghana News Agency later that her priority would be education, health, sanitation, youth employment and women empowerment. Dr Gladys Ashitey, the Deputy Minister of Health, inaugurated the assembly with a call on members to live up to expectation by helping to improve the lives of the people.

Madam Doris Gyapomaah Oduro, the District Chief Executive, called for support from chiefs and other stakeholders for accelerated development of the district.

She said revenue generated from local sources had not been encouraging and called on the new members of the assembly to help to improve the sector by educating the people to see the need for them to honour their tax and other financial obligations to the assembly.