Five candidates representing five political parties will contest the Kumawu bye-election scheduled to take place today, Tuesday, 1 October 2002.

They are Mr James Yaw Owusu, 51, farmer, representing the People National Convention (PNC), Miss Rose Aboagye, 48, of the Democratic People's Party (DPP), Mr Yaw Baah, 43, a lawyer, for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Richard Martin Osei, 55, teacher, for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and Mr Yaw Opoku Mensah, 40, farmer, for the Ghana Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP).

The seat became vacant following the death of Mr Reo Addai Basoah, the NPP Member of Parliament for the Constituency. Mr Samuel Yorke Aidoo, Ashanti Regional Director of the Electoral Commission (EC), announced this on Thursday to outline preparation and coverage of the Kumawu Constituency bye-election in Kumasi.

He said contesting political parties have been given copies of the list of all polling staff for their perusal and comments. Mr Aidoo said a constituency inter-party advisory meeting is to take place at Kumawu before the election.

He said in spite of the impressive relative peace, adequate provision has been made for a joint police and military security operation, saying, about 72 police officers will be deployed to the Polling Stations while the military will mount two Mobile Patrol Teams.

Mr Aidoo said the collation and declaration of the final constituency results will take place at the Dining Hall of the Tweneboah Kodua Secondary School at Kumawu.

Mr Aidoo said three zones -Bira/Owam, Kumawu/Bodomase and Afram Plains have been created to ensure timely distribution of election materials and that election materials for four sectors of Afram Plains will be conveyed from Kumawu on Sunday, September 29 while the materials for Biram/Owam and Kumawu/Bodomase will be kept at the designated Centres and distributed at dawn on Tuesday.