The Democratic Party of Korea finalized its nomination rules for the June 3 local elections next year and shifted into a full-fledged election preparation system. With the People Power Party mired in conflict over nomination rules, it is moving a step ahead in the local election phase by emphasizing "livelihood pledges."
On the morning of the 18th, the Democratic Party held a joint meeting of the city and provincial party local election task forces in the party leader's conference room at the National Assembly to review preparations for the local elections. The meeting was attended by party leadership including leader Jung Chung-rae and Secretary-General Cho Seung-rae, along with officials from local election task forces of city and provincial parties nationwide. It was the first task force meeting since an amendment to the party constitution related to local election nomination rules passed the Central Committee on the 15th.
Through this party constitution amendment, the Democratic Party decided to introduce a bottom-up nomination system that: ▲ holds preliminary contests for basic councilors, metropolitan councilors, and heads of basic and metropolitan governments as 100% rights party member contests; ▲ reflects 50% rights party members and 50% general public in the main primaries; ▲ reflects 100% rights party member votes when selecting proportional representation candidates for metropolitan councils; and ▲ reflects votes of the "Standing Committee members" and "rights party members" at 50% each when selecting proportional representation candidates for basic councils.
Leader Jung described this as "a nomination revolution that fully returns the local election nomination rights, which had been controlled by a few powerful figures or certain influential lawmakers, to the party members."
Using the early finalization of nomination rules as a springboard, the Democratic Party plans to speed up candidate recruitment, organizational maintenance, and policy preparation. Jung said, "Because we will hold rights party member contests fairly, talented people will flock to the Democratic Party," adding, "We must listen to the people's voices and identify many tailored pledges and small-but-certain-happiness pledges that the public wants."
By contrast, the People Power Party has yet to finalize its local election nomination rules.
Initially, the election task force considered expanding the proportion reflected for party members to as high as 70%, but faced internal backlash that it "runs counter to public sentiment," sending the matter back for reconsideration. Currently under review are plans to either maintain the existing plan of "50% party member vote, 50% public opinion poll," or adopt a "national electoral college system" that reflects "50% party member vote, 30% opinion poll, and 20% national electoral college."
However, criticism within the party continues that if only hard-core supporters participate in the national electoral college, "the effect will be similar to the 70% party sentiment plan." The election task force will hold a meeting on the 23rd to conduct further discussions and report its plan to the leadership.
In political circles, there is a view that, as the Democratic Party has tied up its nomination rules early and begun full-fledged preparations for the local elections, the speed and strategic differences in election preparations between the ruling and opposition parties will become even clearer.