The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) is set to organise phase two of its parliamentary primaries tomorrow, Saturday, June 20, 2020.
In the first phase, the party, in September 2019, held primaries in constituencies it has no sitting Members of Parliament, known as “orphan constituencies”.
The second phase of the primaries is focusing on electing parliamentary candidates in areas it has sitting MPs.
The elections will be held within the electoral areas to ensure enhanced social distancing and COVID-19 safety protocols.
Voting starts at 7 am and ends at 1 pm.
A total of 374 aspirants are contesting in 168 constituencies.
Of the number, 325 are men and 51 women.
67 of the aspirants are contesting unopposed and would be acclaimed by delegates of the party in the various constituencies.
Primaries in Gushegu in the Northern Region, Kwadaso in the Ashanti Region and Dormaa Central in the Bono Region were earlier put on hold due to certain developments.
But the decision has been rescinded thus paving the way for primaries to be held in the aforementioned constituencies.
In Gushegu and Dormaa Central, the aspirants will contest unopposed while in the Kwadaso constituency, the primary has been slated for June 24, 2020.
Meanwhile, the party has wished all aspirants the best of luck ahead of its parliamentary primaries.
The party in a statement issued on Friday, June 19, 2020, and signed by it General Secretary, John Boadu, noted, “The party is particularly grateful to the aspiring Parliamentary Candidates who graciously decided to withdraw their Nomination from the contest to support other Candidates in deference to the interventions made by some Party Elders and the National Executive Committee (NEC) in the supreme interest of the party.”
The party also thanked aspirants who “graciously” withdrew their nominations in the interest of the party and wished the contesting aspirants well.
“The party is equally thankful to the teeming supporters of all the aspiring Candidates for their cooperation thus far. In respect of aspiring Parliamentary Candidates who have been cleared by NEC to contest in the primaries, the party congratulates them on this feat and wishes them the very best of luck in the primaries.”