Incumbent NCD Governor, Powes Parkop has retained the NCD Regional seat after a nail-biting final exclusion which saw 2nd runner-up, Wari Vele. 47,008 votes were distributed amongst the remaining 2 candidates, Andy Bawa, and the incumbent governor. After the distribution it was clear that Parkop was the victor, beating Bawa by a 20,919 vote difference.
Parkop polled 78,566, while Bawa fell short with just 57,647. The absolute majority to reach was 68,481, a total number of formal ballot papers counted 203, 988 with the total number of exhausted papers adding up to 76,027. A defeated but grateful runner-up, Andy Bawa made himself available to congratulate the incumbent governor, Powes Parkop yesterday afternoon, after he fell short at the conclusion of the final exclusion.
Speaking at the declaration ceremony, Bawa congratulated the governor, stating that it was a hard-fought victory. “I want to congratulate the governor-elect again. This election has not been an easy one, it’s been a long hard-fought victory,” Bawa said. Bawa added that they had fought the hard fight, with extensions and deferrals stating that NCD holds a new record for the longest election period in the history of the country.
Even though defeated fair and squarely, he pledged his full support for the re-elected NCD Governor. He also urges the governor to take action and make sure that he implements his policies to help enable the people to thrive in the city. Bawa also stated that should he not fulfill his promises, he will be ready to stand up and contest again in the 2027 NGE. “In 2017, I came second, in 2022 I came second again, but not bad. We fought a good fight, a good battle. If there is the next ride in 2027, we hope we can come back better next time,” He said.