Lee Jun-seok "I will instruct the Gyeongjunwi to review the application of reverse selection prevention"
Seo Byung-soo "No reason to fix... The purpose of the general public opinion survey should be preserved"
If the reverse selection prevention clause is applied... Yoon Seok-yeol and Choi Jae-hyung favored, Hong Joon-pyo and Yoo Seung-min disadvantaged
[Asia Economy reporters Naju Seok and Park Juni] The 'reverse voting prevention clause' is expected to become a key issue in the People Power Party's presidential primary race. Party leader Lee Jun-seok supports incorporating the reverse voting prevention clause, while the Primary Election Preparation Committee, which oversees the primary, opposes it. There is even analysis suggesting that the application of this clause could significantly affect the gains and losses of each candidate.
Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, is attending a meeting of the party's presidential primary candidates held at the central party office in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 29th, delivering a greeting. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@
On the 30th, Seo Byung-soo, chairman of the People Power Party's Primary Election Preparation Committee, reiterated his opposition to applying the 'reverse voting prevention clause' in the presidential primary. In a phone interview with this outlet, he said, "Yesterday's Supreme Council meeting decision was probably meant to encourage consideration of the reverse voting prevention clause," adding, "There is no justification to change the existing policy. Who could strategically engage in reverse voting?" He continued, "The party must respect the party constitution and regulations, and there is no clause regarding the reverse voting prevention clause in the provisions for conducting opinion polls. Moreover, it does not align with the purpose of including general public opinion polls in the selection of public office candidates."
The previous day, Seo also stated, "I have not directly heard about the reverse voting prevention clause," and argued, "If we include the reverse voting prevention clause, it means we want to hold the primary only with our supporters. Then why bother including general public opinion polls when we can just form an electorate and hold the election?"
The reverse voting prevention clause limits opinion polls to People Power Party supporters and the politically unaffiliated. This clause was designed to prevent members of opposing parties from negatively influencing the election by supporting weaker candidates when general public opinion polls are conducted. Previously, controversy over reverse voting arose when Kim Jae-won, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, participated in the Democratic Party's presidential primary electorate.
After the Supreme Council meeting the previous day, Lee said to reporters, "I generally agree with the first cut-off rule draft prepared by the Primary Election Preparation Committee, but I understand that the draft was made without introducing the reverse voting prevention clause because an opinion poll expert present advised against it," adding, "I will instruct that the 100% opinion poll framework be maintained and that the introduction of the reverse voting prevention rule be reconsidered." This was a move to put a brake on the committee's policy.
Earlier, it was reported that Lee mentioned in a closed Supreme Council meeting that "whether to include the reverse voting prevention clause is not a matter the Primary Election Preparation Committee can decide." Supreme Council member Kim also reportedly voiced support for applying the clause, saying, "I entered the Democratic Party's presidential primary electorate to explain what reverse voting is, even if it meant being criticized."
Initially, the Supreme Council was set to approve the inclusion of the reverse voting prevention clause but compromised by instructing the Primary Election Preparation Committee to consider it.
According to political circles, the presence or absence of the reverse voting prevention clause in the People Power Party's presidential primary process significantly affects the gains and losses of each candidate. For example, in a conservative opposition presidential candidate opinion poll conducted by Realmeter on behalf of OhmyNews from the 26th to 27th (with a margin of error of ±2.2 percentage points at a 95% confidence level and a response rate of 5.6%), former Prime Minister Yoon Seok-youl received 29% support among the general public but 56.2% among People Power Party supporters. While the voices of the unaffiliated must be considered, the trend among People Power Party supporters places Yoon in a dominant position. Former Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman Choi Jae-hyung, who recently joined the party after being an outside candidate, received 7.6% in the general public poll but 11.5% among People Power Party supporters, similarly placing him in a favorable position.
On the other hand, Representative Hong Jun-pyo received 13.3% in the general public poll but only 9.1% among People Power Party supporters. Former Representative Yoo Seung-min garnered 8.3% in the general public poll but only 3.8% among People Power Party supporters. If the reverse voting prevention clause is applied, these two candidates risk falling behind even former Chairman Choi in opinion polls and other measures.
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