The evidence does not support allegations that people in an area will vote for a ticket in the presidential election just because the running mate is from that region, according to Dr. Isaac Owusu Mensah, Director of Research at the Jubilee House.
This is in response to demands that the New Patriotic Party choose its running partner from the Ashanti Region, where almost 10 candidates are vying for consideration.
Dr. Owusu Mensah stated in a Citi News interview that choosing a running mate from the Ashanti area won’t be the main factor for voters.
Citing data, he revealed that fewer than twenty percent of people cast ballots because the vice presidential candidate is from their area.
He pointed out that, while Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur delivered the Central Region for the NDC in 2012, he was unable to do so in 2016.
“Before I came to the Jubilee House, I did some work on the role of the Vice Presidential candidate and less than 20 percent of the people we spoke to went to the polls because the Vice President was coming from their region. We did because in 2012 Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur delivered the Central but in 2016 he couldn’t.
“The running mate is important but less than 20 percent who go to the polls to cast their vote go to the polls because the running mate is coming from there.
Dr. Owusu Mensah emphasized that the ability to mobilize voters is more important than the running mate’s region of origin.
