Former Leader Lee Nak-yeon, 28.19% Vote Share in Chungcheong
Lee Jae-myung: "I Will Continue to Do My Best with Determination"
[Asia Economy Reporters Oh Ju-yeon and Jeon Jin-young] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, achieved a landslide victory with over 50% of the votes in the first regional primary of the Democratic Party presidential candidate selection held in the Chungcheong region on the 5th. The Chungcheong region is recognized as a 'casting vote' area and was one of the most watched places as it was the first vote to confirm the 'party sentiment.' For Governor Lee, succeeding in securing a majority vote in Sejong and North Chungcheong following the previous day’s Daejeon and South Chungcheong results has bolstered his confidence to advance directly to the main election without a runoff between the first and second place candidates.
According to the Democratic Party’s announced results of the presidential primary vote in Sejong and North Chungcheong, Governor Lee secured first place with 54.54% of the votes. Former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon received 29.72%. Following them were former Minister of Justice Chu Mi-ae with 7.09%, former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun with 5.49%, Representative Park Yong-jin with 2.22%, and Representative Kim Du-kwan with 0.93%.
Combining the results with the previous day’s Daejeon and South Chungcheong votes, Governor Lee also achieved a landslide victory with a majority vote.
In the Chungcheong region, Governor Lee received a total of 21,047 votes, recording a cumulative vote share of 54.72% and ranking first, while former leader Lee Nak-yeon remained in second place with 10,841 votes and a 28.19% vote share. The gap between them was approximately 26.53 percentage points. Former Prime Minister Chung ranked third with 7.05% (2,711 votes), followed by former Minister Chu with 6.81% (2,619 votes), Representative Park with 2.37% (911 votes), and Representative Kim with 0.87% (334 votes).
The Democratic Party primary system aggregates votes until the 10th of next month, and if no candidate secures a majority, a runoff between the top two candidates is held. This is why attention was focused on whether Governor Lee would achieve a majority.
Having won decisively in the Chungcheong region, Governor Lee expressed his determination to do his best in the remaining schedule.
After the vote count in Sejong and North Chungcheong was completed, he told reporters, "Rather than being obsessed with turnout or approval ratings, I believe the people and party members have expectations of me, and I will continue to do my best with that mindset."
On the other hand, former leader Lee Nak-yeon, who received a lower vote share than expected, is expected to humbly accept the results while continuing his policy efforts without pause. On the morning of the same day, Lee announced a balanced development strategy related to the '4+4 Metropolitan Economic Living Zone' at the Democratic Party office of Representative Lee Jang-seop in Cheongju, North Chungcheong, and plans to announce pledges for Daegu and North Gyeongsang on the 6th.
Lee Nak-yeon’s camp is tightening its reins, stating that the 'great battle starts now.' On the morning of the same day, Lee’s camp released a statement saying, "Candidate Lee Nak-yeon’s great battle will also begin now, as he creates miracles."
The Democratic Party will continue regional primaries in Daegu and North Gyeongsang on the 11th and Gangwon on the 12th. Especially on the 12th, the results of voting by about 700,000 general party members and citizens will be announced in the '1st Super Week,' which is expected to be a turning point to gauge Governor Lee’s direct advancement to the main election.
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