The Electoral Commission (EC) has officially declared Charles Forson of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as the winner of the Tema Central parliamentary election.
The declaration comes after the EC collated outstanding polling station results, as ordered by the High Court in Accra on Saturday.
According to the EC, Forson polled 18,870 votes, narrowly beating his closest contender, Ebi Bright of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), who secured 18,815 votes. An Independent candidate garnered 209 votes, while 114 votes were rejected out of a total of 38,038 votes cast.
The NPP had challenged the initial declaration of the NDC candidate as the winner, citing inconclusive collation and incorrect declaration.
The High Court upheld the NPP’s argument and ordered the EC to complete the collation with adequate security from the Ghana Police Service.
The EC’s declaration brings an end to the dispute over the Tema Central seat, one of four constituencies that were still in contention between the NPP and NDC.
The NPP has also had favorable rulings in the other three constituencies: Ablekuma North, Techhiman South, and Okaikwei Central.
However, the NDC has announced its intention to appeal the High Court’s ruling on all four constituencies, potentially prolonging the dispute.
The EC’s declaration comes just two days before the swearing-in of new Members of Parliament.