The Suame lawmaker, Honorable Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu’s voluntary resignation as the Majority Leader and the subsequent ascension of the Effutu legislator, Honorable Alexander Kwamena Afenyo Markin into the role of the Majority Leader mark not just a changing of the guard but carry broader implications for regional balance in political leadership, especially within Parliament for Ghana’s major political parties.
The recent elevation of the Effutu Member of Parliament, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin to the role of Majority Leader in Parliament has resulted in both leaders from the Majority and Minority Caucuses hailing from the Central Region.
This move underscores the acknowledgment by both the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of the crucial role the Central Region plays in Ghana’s electoral politics.
Historical data reveals a compelling trend where any political party securing victory in the Central Region tends to correlate with success in presidential elections under the Fourth Republic.
With the Central Region proving to be one of the most decisive regions in Ghana’s electoral politics, the recent changes in Parliament leadership reflect a keen awareness of its pivotal role.
It is important to state that the Central Region’s significance is not lost on the political parties, as they gear up for the 2024 general elections.
While the ruling New Patriotic Party aims to break the eight-year jinx and to win the Central Region in the December 7 polls, the opposition National Democratic Congress has expressed its commitment to increasing both presidential and parliamentary votes in the region.
For instance, the Central Regional Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Richard Takyi Mensah, has indicated that the Regional Executives of the party led by the Chairman, Robert Kutin Junior, are committed to prosecute the next political campaign and revert the region as a stronghold for the NPP.
“We know Central Region is a decider region and it is a battlefield because the party that wins the region forms the next government. We have it at the back of our minds that Central Region is going to be a battle ground and we are poised to win the region once again.
“We strongly believed that with the help of God and with media support as well as support from the good people of the Central Region including traditional authorities, we are going to clinch another victory for the NPP come 2024”.
Richard Takyi Mensah, NPP Central Region Secretary
Meanwhile, Professor Richard Kofi Asiedu, the National Democratic Congress’s regional Chairman outlined the party’s ambitious target of surpassing the 45.9% of votes received in the 2020 Presidential elections, aiming for a 60% share and securing victory in at least 20 out of the 23 parliamentary seats in the 2024 elections.
Despite the ambitious nature of the two political parties targets, a recent opinion poll by Global InfoAnalytics for the 2023 year-end showed a substantial lead for the National democratic Congress flagbearer, Former President John Dramani Mahama, over the New Patriotic Party’s candidate, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
The poll, published on January 4, 2024, revealed that the National Democratic Congress flagbearer John Dramani Mahama led with 53.2%, compared to the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia’s 29.6%, almost ten months ahead of the elections.
What is particularly noteworthy from the poll is Mr Mahama’s lead in all regions except the Northeast, where Dr Bawumia’s dominance seems to be narrowed.
This data suggests a strong momentum for the opposition National Democratic Congress, signaling a potential shift in the country’s political landscape.
Examining the influence of the two leaders of the Caucuses in Parliament on the December 7 polls, especially in the Central Region, underscores the strategic importance of these figures.
For instance, the Ajumako Member of Parliament, and the Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, has turned an NPP-dominated constituency into a traditional National Democratic Congress stronghold by winning four consecutive elections since 2008.
Simultaneously, the Effutu legislator and the current Majority Leader, Honorable Alexander Kwamena Afenyo Markin, has also accomplished what many deemed impossible by establishing the Effutu Constituency as the NPP’s traditional seat through three consecutive wins since 2012.
Therefore, while it remains to be seen how Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson and Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin will leverage their influence to sway the electoral dynamics in the Central Region, the National Democratic Congress appears poised to dominate the Central Region, primarily due to the favorable polling results.
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