GAO-BUGOTU Constituency in Isabel Province has elected a new Member of Parliament.
The MP-elect is Trevor Hedley Magaha who polled a total of 2861 votes, to unseat the constituencies long-serving Parliamentary Representative Samuel Manetoali, a lawyer by profession.
Mr Magaha is an Environmental Engineer.
Mr Manetoali, who occupied the Gao-Bugotu Constituency Seat for four consecutive terms since 2006, polled a total of 2, 848 votes.
Mr Manetoali is a member of the Ownership, Unity and Responsibility (OUR) and he is amongst a number of the party’s candidates who lost their seat in this year’s National General Election as the counting progresses, Other unsuccessful OUR Party candidates are Lily Maefae who unsuccessfully re-contested the East Makira Seat, Senley Levi Filualea who failed to retain the North Malaita Constituency Seat.
The third candidate who contested the seat, George Bogese polled only 48 votes.
The total number of registered voters in Gao-Bugotu Constituency is 6,794 and the total number of voters who casted their votes was 5770. A total of 17 votes were rejected.
This election result for the Gao-Bugotu Constituency Parliamentary Election is one of the two latest election results announced by the Solomon Islands Electoral Commission at 3pm today.
The other result is for the Provincial Election for the Asimeuri Ward in Malaita.
The winning candidate for the ward is Edward Martin Mae who polled a total of 685 votes. The runner up was Luke Mwakiawa who polled 422 votes.
The other candidates who unsuccessfully contested for the seat were Orex Ross Koke who polled 382 votes, Ramsey George Olisukulu who polled 302 votes, Jackson Walton Rahemae who polled 255 votes, Lesly Antony Saru who polled 240 votes, David Otalifua Tapiei who polled 237 votes, Wallen Hite who polled 196 votes, John Tola who polled 179 votes and Mwaki Beven Aieile who polled 117 votes.
The total number of registered voters for the Asimeuri Ward is 3,620 and the total number of votes casted was 3,039. The total number of rejected votes was 24.
By DELI-SHARON OSO
Solomon Star, Honiara
