WOMEN PARLIAMENTARY CANDIDATES IN ASHANTI (PAGE 17)

Out of a total of 174 candidates vying for the 39 parliamentary seats in the Ashanti Region, only 15 are women, with two of them contesting their seats as independent candidates.
The independent parliamentary candidates are Madam Akua Duku, a 62-year-old farmer who is contesting in Kwabre West, and Nana Frema Busia, a 48-year-old attorney, contesting the Manhyia seat.
Other contestants for the Kwabre West seat are the incumbent Member of Parliament, Mr Emmanuel Asamoah Owusu Ansah, the Ashanti Regional Minister, who is on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP); Mr Pius Opoku Boateng, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate who was recently jailed for 12 months by an Offinso Magistrate’s Court for double registration; Mr Osei Kwadwo, a farmer contesting on the ticket of the Reformed Patriotic Democrats (RPD) and Mr Joseph Boache Danquah, a teacher, contesting on the ticket of the People's National Convention (PNC).
In all, seven political parties are contesting the 39 seats in the Ashanti Region. They are the NDC, the NPP, the PNC, the Convention People's Party (CPP), the Democratic Freedom Party, (DFP), the RPD and the Democratic People's Party (DPP).
Five of the parties, the NDC, NPP, PNC, CPP and RPD endorsed some females to contest some of the constituency seats. The DFP and DPP did not endorse any female candidate.
While the PNC endorsed the highest number of five female candidates, the NPP endorsed four with the NDC endorsing two while the CPP and the RPD endorsed one female candidate each.
In the Manhyia Constituency, Nana Frema Busia, the independent candidate, is contesting the seat, together with Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, a medical doctor who is on the ticket of the NPP; Mr Salifu Mumuni, a farmer contesting on the ticket of the PNC; Mr Charles Saifa Bonsu, an NDC candidate and Mr Yaw Nkunim who is on the ticket of the CPP.
The incumbent MP for Kwadaso, Mrs Joyce Hilda Addo, who won the seat for the NPP during the 2004 election, was the only woman MP who lost her primaries in the Ashanti Region and therefore could not contest as a candidate for the December 2008 election.
She lost to Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, indicating that she would not be in parliament after the December 7, 2008 election.
Of the women contesting for some parliamentary seats in the Ashanti Region, the PNC filed the highest number of five in the persons of Mariam Iddrisu, a 27-year-old SSSCE graduate contesting the New Edubiase seat, Lovia Berko, a 42-year-old SSS graduate contesting the Effiduase/Asokore seat; Lucy Kapapoe, a 31- year-old Klin Supervisor, contesting the Ejisu-Juaben seat; Mary Agyeiwaa, a 54-year-old teacher contesting the Amansie West seat and Joyce Oduro, a 24-year-old trader contesting the Sekyere West seat.
The NPP endorsed the candidature of four females in the persons of Mrs Cecilia Dapaah, the incumbent MP for Bantama; Mrs Gifty Ohene Konadu, the incumbent MP for Asante Akim South; Mrs Grace Addo, a teacher, who won the primaries at Amansie West and the incumbent MP for Oforikrom, Mrs Elizabeth Agyemang. These will contest the various seats in the 2008 parliamentary election.
The two NDC candidates are Mrs Anima Wilson, a 50-year-old caterer who is contesting the Ejisu-Juaben seat, and Ms Barbara Serwaa Asamoah, a 34-year-old student who is contesting the Offinso South seat.
Other contestants for the Ejisu-Juaben seat are Lucy Kapapoe for the PNC, Mr Kwabena Owusu-Aduomi, a civil engineer for the NPP, and Mr James Sarfo-Ansah, a chemical engineer, for the CPP.
In Offinso South, Mr Ben Abdallah Banda, a 37-year-old lawyer for the NPP; Mr Kwaku Owusu Afriyie, a 54-year-old farmer for the CPP; Michael Kotey, a 34-year-old farmer, and Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, a 54-year-old farmer are the other candidates vying to win the constituency seat.
The only female endorsed by the CPP is Mrs Alice Duah Boateng, a 62-year-old businesswoman who would be contesting the Kwabre East seat, together with Mr Kofi Frimpong a 57-year-old teacher, on the ticket of the NPP; Mr Bismarck Adu Asare, a 52-year-old farmer on the ticket of the NDC and Zacharia Awuah, a 48- year-old accountant contesting the seat on the ticket of the DFP.
Eunice Owusu Ansah, a 23-year-old student, is the only candidate endorsed by the RPD to contest a parliamentary seat in the Ashanti Region, specifically in the Bantama Constituency.
Other contestants for the Bantama seat are Madam Cecilia Dapaah, NPP; Stephen Kwaku Saahene a 32-year-old driver, contesting as an independent candidate; Nana Osei Akoto-Kuffour on the ticket of the NDC and Richard Osei Tutu contesting the seat on the ticket of the CPP.