[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Seoyoung] Following the boycott declaration of the fair primary pledge ceremony by five candidates of the People Power Party presidential race?Representative Hong Joon-pyo, former Representative Yoo Seung-min, Representative Ha Tae-kyung, former Incheon Mayor Ahn Sang-soo, and former Army General Park Chan-joo?attention is now focused on the movements of former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl as former Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman Choi Jae-hyung also changed his stance.
On the night of the 4th, former Chairman Choi announced on his Facebook, "Ahead of tomorrow’s scheduled in-party fair primary pledge ceremony, five primary candidates?Hong Joon-pyo, Yoo Seung-min, Ha Tae-kyung, Ahn Sang-soo, and Park Chan-joo?have declared a boycott of the party’s primary schedule." He added, "Our camp also advocated for preventing reverse voting, but changing the established rules does not align with my values, so we have decided to stop," and apologized, saying, "I am sorry for the prolonged confusion." This is interpreted as a statement of willingness to participate in an unconditional national opinion poll.
On the 5th, former Chairman Choi also wrote on his Facebook, "It is not that I am unaware of the problems of reverse voting," but emphasized, "However, I believe the public will be even more disappointed by the sight of candidates fighting based on their own interests rather than competing for regime change and the country’s development." He further stated, "Let us now end further controversy, trust the Election Commission, and wait for the primary," and added, "What the people want is clean and fair competition, dignified conduct, and a united front for regime change. Let us show such an image."
With former Chairman Choi’s change of position, only former Prosecutor General Yoon remains demanding the introduction of a reverse voting prevention clause. In response, Representative Ha said on his Facebook on the 5th, "Candidate Choi Jae-hyung has made a great decision," and noted, "He has withdrawn the camp’s previous claim to prevent reverse voting and expressed his intention to follow the established rules." He continued, "Now it is time for Election Commission Chairman Jeong Hong-won and former Prosecutor General Yoon to respond," urging, "Please acknowledge the voting results from the Election Commission meeting on the 3rd and make a decision for party unity and regime change."
Earlier, People Power Party presidential primary candidates criticized in a joint statement, "The primary, which should be a festive event, is heading toward disruption," and accused, "The Election Commission Chairman, who should maintain absolute neutrality, is representing the position of a specific candidate." They pointed out that although the vote on whether to insert the reverse voting prevention clause at the Election Commission meeting on the 3rd resulted in six opposing and six supporting votes, thus failing, Chairman Jeong postponed the conclusion and said it would be decided at the pledge ceremony on the 5th. This move has been criticized as an attempt to protect former Prosecutor General Yoon’s stance supporting the reverse voting prevention clause.
Currently, the Election Commission has announced that it will hold the fair primary pledge ceremony and a meeting between the Election Commission Chairman and primary candidates at 3 p.m. on the 5th, and then decide the final primary rules at the subsequent full meeting. However, due to the boycott of the pledge ceremony by the five candidates, it is highly likely that the ceremony will be skipped and the final primary rules will be decided immediately.
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