With approximately 52,000 registered voters poised to cast their ballots across 119 polling stations, the Akwatia constituency in Ghana’s Eastern Region is bracing for a pitched parliamentary by-election on Tuesday, September 2, 2025. The Electoral Commission says preparations are complete and all systems are “all set” for the vote.
This by-election was triggered by the sudden death of the sitting Member of Parliament, Ernest Yaw Kumi of the NPP, who passed away in July 2025 after narrowly winning the seat in the 2024 general election. His untimely passing has reignited political interest in Akwatia, a constituency historically known as a battleground that mirrors national sentiment.
Since Ghana’s democratic reemergence in 1992, political control of Akwatia has oscillated almost evenly between the main parties, the NDC and the NPP. The constituency has frequently reflected broader national voting trends, making this by-election not just a local contest but a potential harbinger of shifting political tides.
Recent polling shows that only 4% of voters intend to let sympathy sway their vote, signaling a more pragmatic electorate focused on concrete issues rather than emotional responses.
