Practical Negotiations Over Unified Candidate Poll Questions
Controversies Over Competitiveness vs Suitability, Party Name Notation
Negotiations May Continue Until Morning of the 17th
[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] The unification negotiations between the opposition candidates for Seoul mayor, Oh Se-hoon of the People Power Party and Ahn Cheol-soo of the People’s Party, are being rushed. The People Power Party and the People’s Party have expressed their determination to hold negotiations by tomorrow morning at the latest to finalize the method of the candidate unification opinion poll. Both sides have mentioned the possibility of compromise, indicating a potential for reconciliation.
On the 16th, Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, appeared on CBS Radio’s ‘Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show’ and said, "Unification will definitely happen," adding, "It looks like a conclusion will be reached even if we have to stay up all night." Kwon Eun-hee, floor leader of the People’s Party, also appeared on KBS Radio’s ‘Choi Kyung-young’s Strong Current Affairs’ and stated, "Even if it is delayed, these matters must be settled by tomorrow morning."
The working-level negotiation teams from both sides met at the National Assembly in the afternoon to discuss the opinion poll method. Since the design of the opinion poll questions, the biggest point of contention, remains unresolved, the unification negotiations still face the possibility of collapse. Floor leader Joo confirmed that "this issue has not yet been officially discussed by the negotiation teams," indicating that both sides have deliberately postponed the question design issue, which is the biggest sticking point.
Floor leader Kwon also explained, "The People’s Party wants to select a candidate who is sure to win by asking about competitiveness against the ruling party candidate, while the People Power Party wants to ask about suitability and include the party name, showing a difference in positions."
However, there is still room for negotiation. Floor leader Kwon said, "The competitiveness question cannot be excluded," but added, "Regarding the party name question, we will have further discussions and negotiations to understand what significance it has in relation to the opinion poll method." This means that while the competitiveness question is non-negotiable, the inclusion of the party name before the candidate’s name can be considered.
On the other hand, floor leader Joo said, "Since two opinion polls will be conducted, one can ask about suitability and the other about competitiveness, so both sides can make concessions." This is a method of mixing the questions evenly.
Additionally, the issue of the negotiation team’s authority, which had been controversial, has been resolved. Assemblyman Sung Il-jong, participating in the People Power Party’s working-level negotiation team, appeared on MBC Radio’s ‘Kim Jong-bae’s Focus’ and said, "On the 14th, Candidate Oh told our negotiation team in a meeting that he would delegate all authority and asked them to proceed with full power." Candidate Ahn also stated, "All specific matters have been fully delegated to the working-level negotiation team."
Meanwhile, Candidates Oh and Ahn will participate in a TV debate hosted by Channel A and broadcast by eight networks, despite the opinion poll method not yet being finalized. This debate will be the first and last between the two sides.
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