A recount of ballot papers as ordered by the court consolidated the victory chalked by incumbent Member of Parliament, Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh, in the controversial NPP Sunyani East parliamentary primary.

 

Mr Ameyaw-Cheremeh, after the recount, garnered 389 as against 387 votes by Ambassador George Kumi.

 

This new result increased the difference in the winning margin from one to two for the incumbent, who had 388 when the primary was held in June.

 

The EC discovered that one of the two rejected ballots during the June 13 primary was actually a valid vote belonging to Mr Ameyaw-Cheremeh.

 

The exercise ordered by a Sunyani High Court yesterday after a brief sitting directed the Electoral Commission to recount the ballots within two hours.

 

The recount was the climax of the protracted dispute over the parliamentary polls, with George Kumi, a former Ghana Ambassador to Libya in the Kufuor administration, challenging the outcome which he lost by a vote.

 

The recount, which was done on the premises of the Regional Police Command, was supervised by the Brong-Ahafo Regional Police Commander, DCOP Maxwell Atingane; the Regional Director of EC, George Gyabaah; his deputy, Samuel Boadu and officials of the court.

 

Lawyer for the petitioner, Twumasi Awuah, a former MCE for Sunyani, as well as lawyer for the respondent, Asumah Ameyaw-Cheremeh, who is his brother, and the regional chairman and the lawyer for the NPP, Nana Yaw Osei, were also there to see things for themselves.

 

Giving his ruling for an order for the recount, Justice Lawey Bottey agreed with the party that the recount of the ballots would settle the disagreement due to the closeness of the results.

 

He said because the ballot counted did not tally with the total votes cast, there was the need for a recount.

 

Addressing party supporters, Mr Ameyaw-Cheremeh urged them to bury their differences and work together for victory for the party in the constituency.

 

He also called on other party members to come on board in order to present a united front for the 2016 general elections.