Democratic Party and Citizen Party Merger... 84% in Favor

Conclusion from Delegate Voting... Procedure Completed by Reporting to the Election Commission after Joint Meeting

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] The merger between the Democratic Party of Korea and the proportional representation coalition party, Deobureo Simindang, has been finalized. On the 8th, Democratic Party spokesperson Heo Yoonjung announced at a National Assembly press conference, "In the party members' vote, 84.1% voted in favor and 15.9% against, concluding with approval of the merger."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 7th, the Democratic Party held a vote among approximately 750,000 party members regarding the merger. Although the party members' vote is not a mandatory procedure for the merger, the Democratic Party conducted it in response to criticism of the proportional satellite party. In the proposal for the vote, the Democratic Party stated, "As a result of the election, candidates from minor parties participating in Simindang and candidates recommended by civil society organizations were able to enter the National Assembly," and added, "Now, the Democratic Party intends to focus all its capabilities on overcoming the COVID-19 national crisis and economic challenges by pursuing the merger as mandated by the people."

Since the two parties had been discussing the merger as a premise before the general election, the approval was virtually certain. However, ahead of the vote, opinions clashed among party members, with some arguing "the merger is justified since it was promoted as a proportional party," while others insisted "it should be formed as a parliamentary negotiation group, not a merger."

The Democratic Party plans to complete the procedure by holding a Central Committee meeting on the 12th to designate the authorized body to resolve the merger with Simindang, followed by a joint meeting on the 13th, and then filing the report with the National Election Commission.