Madam Mary Boatemaa Marfo, District Chief Executive (DCE) for Sekyere East, has described as distressful the inability of the assembly members to elect a new Presiding Member (PM).

The assembly members have since the inauguration of the new assembly in December 2019, failed to elect a new Presiding Member, after seven elections, which had been conducted for that purpose, could not produce a winner.

Six assembly members who had contested for the position have all failed to secure the required number of votes from the 39 assembly members to be elected for the PM position.

Madam Marfo, who was visibly sad about the outcome of the latest elections involving Mr Kingsco Agyena, assemblyman for Asokore South electoral area and Mr Oti Aboagye, assemblyman for Akokoase electoral area, said the situation was affecting the socio-economic development of the district.

She stressed the need for the assembly members to bury their political differences and focus on the development interest of the people in their communities and choose a PM, who would be acceptable by all to speed up the development of the district.

Madam Marfo pointed out that the PM played a critical role in initiating and implementing policies and programmes that could push forward the various interventions of the government to improve the living conditions of the people.

She commended technocrats in the assembly for holding the fort in the absence of a substantive PM and supporting the assembly to implement its development agenda.

Mr. Yakubu Abdul-Rahaman, the District Coordinating Director, said the PM position was very crucial to the development and sustainability of the district in its projects and programmes planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

He said, the election of the PM was a collective responsibility and urged the assembly members to bury their differences and arrive at a mutual consensus in electing a PM to facilitate the development pace of the district.