Interest is growing in the floor leader election that will decide the People Power Party's next parliamentary commander. Although Floor Leader Song Eon-seog's term has a month and a half left, the election mood is heating up early as it coincides with the possibility of a leadership shake-up in the People Power Party after the local elections.
According to the political community on the 27th, senior lawmakers in the People Power Party are preparing, one by one, to run in the floor leader election. Floor Leader Song Eon-seog's term runs until June 16. Although much time remains in the term, Song also recently drew a line against calls for an early resignation.
However, inside and outside the party, voices are growing that the People Power Party should also select a new floor leader early, in step with the ruling party holding its floor leader election in May. On the surface, they cite the need for a new floor leader to counter the Democratic Party, which has even signaled the possibility of sweeping the standing committee chairmanships.
Still, a closer look shows the internal situation is complicated. The People Power Party is fighting an uphill battle in these local elections. With low party approval ratings and high approval ratings for President Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party is leading in most polls for major metropolitan mayoral and provincial governor races. Some even worry that the outcome could be worse than the 2018 local elections, when the Democratic Party swept 14 of the 17 metropolitan offices.
Naturally, internal attention is turning to the next party leadership contest. In political circles, if the party suffers a crushing defeat in the local elections, there is no chance the Jang Dong-hyeok leadership system will continue. They say a shift to an emergency leadership committee is inevitable.
At that point, the person who leads the transition to an emergency committee system is highly likely to become the new floor leader. Under the People Power Party's constitution and bylaws, the party leader or acting party leader can exercise the authority to appoint the emergency committee. A People Power Party official said, "The next floor leader will, in effect, hold the key to reorganizing the People Power Party."
Currently, the names most often mentioned as floor leader candidates are four-term lawmaker Kim Do-eup (Gangseo, Busan), three-term lawmaker Jeong Jeom-sig (Tongyeong-Goseong, South Gyeongsang), and three-term lawmaker Seong Il-jong (Seosan-Taean, South Chungcheong). Kim Do-eup is being pushed by the reformist junior lawmakers, while Jeong Jeom-sig is backed by the pro-leadership camp centered on Jang Dong-hyeok. Seong Il-jong is seen as relatively weak in factional color.
In addition, the names of lawmaker Park Dae-chul (Jinju-gap, South Gyeongsang) and lawmaker Lee Jong-bae (Chungju, North Chungcheong) are being floated, both by themselves and by others. Park Dae-chul is close to the pro-leadership camp, while Lee Jong-bae is viewed as light on factional ties yet carries weight as a four-term senior lawmaker.