The anxiety and uncertainty surrounding women's abilities to win Parliamentary seats have been laid to rest as 29 women from all ten regions have reached office so far in Ghana's hotly contested 2012 elections. Subsequently, Ghana’s next parliament is set to boast more women than before, especially as the results of some parliamentary races have yet to be declared. The 133 women who contested in this year’s parliamentary elections represent a 30% increase in that figure over 2008 and the highest number of women to have contested parliamentary seats in Ghana’s political history. Out of the 133 female aspirants, 34 ran in the Greater Accra Region, followed by the Ashanti and Central Regions, which respectively saw 26 and 15 women run. The others ran in the Western, Eastern, Volta, Northern, and Upper East Regions, which respectively boasted 12, 10, 7, 6 and 5 female candidates. The Upper West is so far the only region that has no female representation in Parliament. Greater Accra saw the highest number of women running because as the capital, it is more cosmopolitan and its residents are relatively more educated. The region has also benefited from the activities of civil society organizations, which resulted in the creation an informed and politically and socially aware female population. Even though some Western Regional MPs like the New Patriotic Party's Catherine Afeku and Samia Yaaba Nkrumah of the CPP lost their races, some veterans managed to cling onto their seats. It is expected that the new faces like former Sissala East DCE Alijata Sulemana, Works and Housing Deputy Minister Hannah Bissue, and Ursula Owusu, who have distinguished themselves in their respective careers, will, together with the "veterans," advance the cause of women.