Independent Candidacy History 15% Deduction, Incumbent Lawmakers 10% Deduction... People Power Party Takes Reform Nomination Measures

Completion of Duty Appointment for Kang Dae-sik, Hong Cheol-ho, etc.
Expedited Formation of Public Office Committee Including Chairman Jeong Jin-seok
Finalization of Candidate Withdrawal Deadline and Deduction System

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, is attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 21st and delivering an opening remark. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporters Junyi Park and Hyunji Kwon] The People Power Party has begun full preparations for the local elections. After finalizing new party appointments such as the Deputy Head of Organization and Deputy Head of Strategic Planning, they are accelerating preparations for candidate nominations by appointing the Chairperson of the Nomination Management Committee. The nomination rules decided on this day also include provisions for deducting points when incumbent or party-leaving members run for office.

On the 21st, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, held a Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly and announced, "We will appoint Jeong Jin-seok, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, as the Chairperson of the Nomination Management Committee for the local elections," adding, "We will start preparations for the local elections to support the Yoon Seok-yeol administration's victory in the local elections." Regarding the background of the appointment, Lee explained, "Deputy Speaker Jeong is appropriate because he provides stability within the party, can gather various streams of information, and has been active in the regions multiple times." Deputy Speaker Jeong has experience as the Chairperson of the Nomination Committee during the by-elections in April last year. Moreover, as he is classified as a close aide to President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol, he is expected to serve as a bridge to the next government.

Within the party appointments, first-term lawmaker Kang Dae-sik of the People Power Party will serve as Deputy Head of Organization, and former lawmaker Hong Cheol-ho will take the role of Deputy Head of Strategic Planning. Together with Secretary-General Han Ki-ho, they will be responsible for promoting the merger with the People Party. Additionally, Park Seong-min, a first-term lawmaker, has been nominated as the Secretary to the Representative’s Office, a position vacated by lawmaker Seo Beom-su’s candidacy for Ulsan mayor. The Central Committee Chairperson and the Talent Recruitment Committee Chairperson will be appointed later at the Supreme Council meeting.

With the appointment structure finalized, preparations for candidate nominations are expected to accelerate further. After concluding the Supreme Council meeting in the morning, a closed Supreme Council meeting continued in the party leader’s office, entering into lengthy discussions.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

During the meeting, a rough schedule for candidate nominations was also confirmed. The deadline for incumbent lawmakers to resign in order to run is April 30, and resignations up to May 9 will still allow candidacy. However, party branch chiefs must complete their resignations by April 1.

The Central Party Nomination Committee is expected to be composed of about 11 members. Chief Spokesperson Heo Eun-ah explained, "We aim to complete the central party composition by the 24th," adding, "The Nomination Committee will consist of more than nine members, including two from the People Party, so we expect about 11 members."

Nomination penalties and a point deduction system were also decided. According to party standards, candidates who have run as independents within the last five years will receive a 15% point deduction, and incumbent lawmakers will receive a 10% deduction. The purpose is to minimize incumbent candidacies and impose penalties on those who leave the party to run, ensuring fair competition.

On this day, Leader Lee stated, "There will be many strong and new measures for reformative nominations," emphasizing, "Our party’s membership structure has changed significantly over the past year. The absolute number of members has nearly tripled, and the composition of members has also changed greatly." He added, "We will strive to represent a broader generation and regional representation within the changed party structure. That will also be a reformative change in nominations."