A total of 482 candidates have filed their nomination papers to contest the December 11 by-elections in 196 electoral areas in the country at close of nominations on November 9.
Ashanti region recorded the highest number of 101 candidates for 33 electoral areas, while Upper West region recorded the lowest of 12 candidates for nine electoral areas.
Mr Henry Okyne, EC Director of Public Affairs, told the media in Accra on Friday that a total of 29 candidates were unopposed while two electoral areas in the Western and Greater Accra regions had no contestants.
The areas are Asuentaa in the Juabeso-Bia District of the Western Region and Dzorwulu in the Ayawaso Sub-metro in the Ga District of the Greater Accra Region.
Mr Okyne said the Commission was mopping up information on why people in the affected areas failed to file for nominations, especially in the Dzorwulu area, for the former seat of Mr Isaac Amo, MP for Ayawaso West Wogon.
The regional figures are: Western (41 candidates for 16 electoral areas), Central (64 candidates for 28 electoral areas), Greater Accra (14 candidates for eight electoral areas), Volta (39 candidates for 22 electoral areas), Eastern (74 candidates for 30 electoral areas), Brong Ahafo (70 candidates for 23 electoral areas), Northern (36 candidates for 15 electoral areas) and Upper East (31 candidates for 12 electoral areas).
Mr Okyne said the by-elections were to fill vacancies at the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies created as a result of deaths, vacation of post or elevation to higher positions of former assembly members.
He said some of the assembly members have been elected as Members of Parliament, while others have been appointed as ministers of state and District Chief Executives.
Source: GhanaWeb
