After split, minor parties compete to woo lawmakers
The Reform Party and the Saemirae Party are speeding up their respective preparations for the April 10 general elections following a not-so-amicable split. Tight competition is expected between the two parties as they strive to recruit lawmakers to secure an advantage in the upcoming elections.
The Saemirae Party appointed Cho Ki-suk, who served as senior presidential secretary for public relations during the former Roh Moohyun administration, to lead its candidate nomination committee, Wednesday.
The Reform Party, led by former People Power Party (PPP) leader Lee Jun-seok, is set to launch its nomination committee later this week amid rumors that seasoned politician Kim Chong-in may be appointed to lead the committee. Kim helped former Presidents Park Geun-hye and Moon Jae-in win their respective presidential elections.
These developments come after the two parties separated on Tuesday, merely 11 days after announcing their coalition to establish a big tent party under the name of the Reform Party.
With less than 50 days until the elections, pundits say the top priority for both parties would be attracting lawmakers from the PPP and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) to secure the No. 3 position on the ballot.
The order in which candidates appear on the ballot is believed to influence election outcomes significantly. The number of incumbent lawmakers in the parties determines the placement. In the upcoming elections, the DPK, holding most Assembly seats, will secure the No. 1 position, followed by the PPP at No. 2.
The Reform Party currently has five lawmakers, while Saemirae has only one.
As a result, the Saemirae Party, led by former DPK leader Lee Nakyon, is apparently sending signals to non-mainstream DPK lawmakers expressing discontent over the party’s unfair treatment of those who do not align with its current leader, Rep. Lee Jae-myung.
“I have a message for DPK lawmakers who are becoming the sacrificial lamb in the party’s controversial nomination process,” Rep. Kim Jong-min, co-chair of the Saemirae Party, said Wednesday. “We should unite to collectively oppose the party becoming [that of] Lee Jae-myung.”
Kim bolted from the DPK in January after butting heads with Rep. Lee.
Commentators were split on how many DPK lawmakers would be willing to join the Saemirae Party.
“Lee [Nak-yon], as the former chairman of the DPK and former prime minister, still wields significant influence on the main opposition party, enough to attract at least 10 lawmakers to his side,” Park Sang-byoung, a political commentator, said.
But Park Chang-hwan, a professor at Jangan University, said otherwise.
“I would say that Lee Nak-yon’s political career is at a major risk after the breakup with Lee Jun-seok,” he said.
“The failed merger with the Reform Party only gave the impression that he was used by the young politician. It was an embarrassing moment for the seasoned politician. I don’t think the Saemirae Party, under Lee’s leadership, will be a popular choice among DPK members who seek to leave the party,” he added.
The professor went on to say that Lee Jun-seok has suffered less from the failed merger.
“Rather, [Lee Jun-seok] gained significant media spotlight in the last couple of weeks by being the face of the merged party and partially succeeded in appealing to centrist voters outside his traditional support base,” he said.