The failure of a district assembly to elect a presiding member means its current presiding member automatically oversees activities for the next term. The Kwaebibirem District Assembly on Tuesday decided to end its fruitless effort to elect a Presiding Member (PM). The assembly took the decision when after voting on four occasions failed to produce a presiding member. The present presiding member, Mr George Aboagye, would continue to preside over meetings of the assembly until the end of the term of the assembly possibly in August 2010. When a new assembly is formed after the district assembly elections next year, the assembly would then choose its presiding member. In the fourth and last election Mr Joseph Kofi Asiedu, a teacher, and Mr Solomon Akomeah contested the position of the presiding member. In the first round Mr Asiedu polled 48 votes and Mr Akomeah, 21, with two spoilt ballots. In the second round, Mr Asiedu came close to winning when he had 49 votes as against 19 by Mr Akomeah with four spoilt ballots. The winner was required to obtain 52 votes being two-thirds of the total membership of the assembly. Mr Aboagye in his eight-year as presiding member told the Ghana News Agency that he decided not to contest the position again due to a convention adopted by the assembly that the District Chief Executive and the presiding member should not come from the same constituency, Akwatia or Kade. The District Chief Executive, Mr George Agyemang Duah, is from the Kade constituency, so is Mr Aboagye. Indeed, both of them are from Akyem Nkwantanang near Kade. Mr Aboagye said but for that convention, he would have contested and was convinced that he could win the post hands down and that would have saved the assembly the time and resources expended in the vain search for a new presiding member. Source: GNA