Current Chairman's 3rd Term Reappointment 'Unprecedented by Custom' Controversy
Kang Pil-gu, Current Chairman, "Never Expressed Intention to Run for Chairman"
[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Jeon Seong] The region is in turmoil over the election for the second half chairman of the 8th Yeonggwang County Council.
Since the opening of the Yeonggwang County Council, there has never been a case of ‘consecutive terms in the first and second half.’ Nevertheless, rumors have spread that the current chairman, Kang Pil-gu, is considering the chairmanship for the second half, leading to opinions that this is ethically unacceptable.
According to the Yeonggwang County Council on the 3rd, the term of the 8th Yeonggwang County Council chairman will end on the 30th of this month, and the leader who will lead the second half of the council will be decided through an election on the 1st of next month.
The election will be conducted by secret ballot among the 8 Yeonggwang county council members, with the principle that more than half of all members must attend, and the candidate must receive more than half of the votes from the attending members.
If no candidate receives more than half of the votes in the first round, a re-vote will be held. If no winner emerges in the second round, a runoff vote will be conducted between the top two candidates with the highest votes. If there is a tie in the runoff, the elder candidate will be elected chairman.
Kang Pil-gu, an 8-term council member and chairman of the 8th council’s first half, previously served as chairman in the 4th council’s first half and has continued from the 7th council’s second half through the 8th council’s first half.
There is no regulation stating that ‘consecutive terms as chairman in the first and second half are prohibited.’ Because of this, consecutive terms are very rarely seen. In fact, Kang Bak-won, a former Gwangju Metropolitan Council member, served consecutive terms as chairman in the 5th council’s first and second halves.
However, generally, following the tradition and precedent of selecting the Speaker of the National Assembly (which does not allow consecutive terms), it has become customary for local councils not to allow consecutive terms for chairmen, and furthermore, it is considered virtuous to yield the chairman position to other members.
Therefore, the fact that Chairman Kang is openly considering consecutive terms through the second half chairmanship has sparked voices in the local political circles that this is ethically unacceptable.
Moreover, if Chairman Kang is elected again this time, it would be his third consecutive term from the 7th council’s second half through the 8th council’s second half.
Regarding this, Chairman Kang stated, “I have never said that I will run for the second half chairmanship, nor have I said that I will not run. However, if I am elected chairman again through the election, I will do my best for the development of Yeonggwang County.”
A political insider said, “Although there is no regulation prohibiting consecutive terms as chairman, as the longest-serving politician with 8 terms nationwide, it would be a beautiful gesture to open the way for younger politicians,” adding, “Isn’t running for a third consecutive term as chairman a sign of greed?”
He continued, “Although Chairman Kang has never directly said he will run for the second half chairmanship, considering the precedent, not stating that he will not run can be seen as tacitly indicating his intention to run.”
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