The Sunyani Municipal Assembly today retained Mr Agbedra Sanyo Yao as the Presiding Member (PM) for the second time after a third round of voting in Sunyani.

Mr Yao was overwhelmingly re- elected with 36 votes and four against in an election supervised by officials from the Sunyani Municipal Office of the Electoral Commission (EC).

Two other contestants Messrs Mohammed Seidu, a Government appointee and Joseph Appiah, Assembly Member for Estate, a suburb in Sunyani stepped down to pave way for Mr Yao after two unsuccessful rounds of voting to get the required number for an election of a PM.

Mr Kwasi Oppong Ababio, Sunyani Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) before the election pleaded with the Assembly Members to ensure the election of the PM through one round voting.

This was because the absence of a PM would have a negative toll on the performance of the Assembly, he explained, adding that their continuous failure to elect a PM was also causing financial losses to the Assembly.

Mr Yao in an acceptance speech thanked members for the confidence reposed in him and appealed to them to bury their differences and rather unite to forge ahead for the development of the Municipality.

He was sworn into office by Mr John Ekow Mensah, a Circuit Court Judge in Sunyani.

GNA