Kumasi, Aug 10, GNA - Dr. Anthony Akoto Osei, Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning was on Tuesday elected as the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the Old Tafo Constituency to contest the December 2004 parliamentary elections. He polled 32 votes out of the 56 votes cast to beat his two other challengers, at an election conducted by the NPP Electoral College of the Old Tafo constituency, in Kumasi, and supervised by officials of the Electoral Commission.

The two other contestants, Mr Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie, a legal practitioner, got 24 votes while Mr John Kodua, also a legal practitioner, scored zero.

In a victory address, Dr. Akoto Osei, announced that his immediate priority would be to embark upon more workable programmes and devise concise strategies that would help bring swift development to the constituency.

He said the mission of development could not be achieved single-handedly without the support of all and sundry, stressing that it behoved them to unite and "support me to help bring the desired progress to the area".

Dr. Akoto Osei commended the two defeated candidates for the matured manner in which they conducted themselves and urged them to co-operate with him so as to bring progress to the constituency and dignity to the party.

Mr Owusu-Afriyie pledged to co-operate genuinely with Dr. Akoto Osei to enable him to win the forthcoming parliamentary election. Mr. F.F. Antoh, Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, commended Dr Akoto Osei for emerging winner and also the losers for mustering the courage to participate in the elections.