GNP faces great defeat in National Assembly by-election

Posted on : 2009-04-30 12:09 KST Modified on : 2009-04-30 12:09 KST
The ruling party fails to win a single seat, while opposition Democratic Party gathered enough momentum to curb the monopolization of power
 April 29.
April 29.

The ruling Grand National Party (GNP) failed to win a single seat of the five parliamentary by-elections on April 29.

According to the National Election Commission as of 10:10 p.m. on that day, Hong Young-pyo, a candidate of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), had won 48.33 percent of the vote in Bupyeong B electoral district, while GNP candidate Lee Jae-hoon was a second 40.87 percent. In Gyeongju of North Gyeongsang Province, independent candidate Jeong Su-seong, who is known to be a close associate of former GNP leader Park Geun-hye, had won 50.7 percent of the vote compared with 33.47 percent won by GNP candidate Jeong Jong-bok. In the North district of Ulsan, Jo Seung-su, a candidate of the opposition Progressive New Party, had won 52.88 percent, while GNP candidate Park Dae-dong received 40.13 percent.

As the GNP suffered a crushing defeat in the by-elections, which were cited by opposition parties as an assessment against “policy bungling” by President Lee Myung-bak’s government, the consequences of the election results are likely to be profound. In particular, DP leader Chung Se-kyun, who helped his party candidate in Bupyeong located west of Seoul, is expected to stabilize his leadership and avoid pressures to resign. The DP is said to have achieved its goals of issuing a judgment against the government of President Lee and checking the mega ruling party by winning the seat in Bupyeong, the most hotly contested race, with a margin of some 10 percentage points. The seat in Bupyeong also brought justification and relieved pressure off the DP leaders, who had made an earlier decision to oppose the nomination of a former unification minister Chung Dong-young, citing their goal of becoming a nationwide party.

As the DP won the seat in Bupyeong, the main opposition party is likely to gain enough momentum to thwart so-called “MB bad laws,” including an amendment of media laws, at the National Assembly in June. In addition, the DP is expected to cement its status as an alternative opposition party by completing its “New DP Plan,” paving the way for the party to win by-elections in October and local elections in 2010.

Nevertheless, it is natural to assume that the DP is facing a tough road ahead. As former minister Chung Dong-young, who quit the DP amid the nomination procedure was elected in Jeonju as an independent candidate, he is expected to return to the party to secure a political stake. It may spark friction with the DP leader Chung Se-kyun. In particular, former minister Chung in alliance with Shin Geon who also won a seat in the by-elections as an independent candidate is highly likely to attack the DP leader Chung. A possible factional dispute would take place if DP lawmakers such as Lee Jong-geol and Choi Gyu-shik, who are categorized as non-mainstream or close to the former minister Chung, directly or indirectly help the former minister return to the party. In this context, an election to pick the next leader of the DP is likely to become a race between a faction of the current leader Chung and a faction who opposes the current leadership.

Former DP leader Sohn Hak-kyu, who helped the DP candidate win the seat in Bupyeong, can be said to enlarging the room to return to the party. Sohn had played an active part until midnight of April 28 in the Bupyeong campaigns, even after the campaigns were officially closed and then returned to Chuncheon, where he has been staying since last year’s parliamentary elections. The move was seen as a gesture that Sohn may wait a while to return to the party, but ahead of the October by-elections, where seats at the capital regions are at stake.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]

Most viewed articles