Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly 'Democratic Party 78 Seats · People Power Party 78 Seats'... Justice Party Fails to Enter

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] The ruling and opposition parties in the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly each secured 78 seats in this simultaneous local election. The Justice Party and others failed to enter the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly.

According to the election management committee's report on the elected members of the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly on the 2nd, the constituency seats were divided with the Democratic Party of Korea winning 71 seats and the People Power Party winning 70 seats. However, in the proportional representation, the People Power Party (8 seats) had one more seat than the Democratic Party (7 seats), resulting in an equal total number of assembly members for both parties.

This is the first time in the history of the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly that the two major parties have held the same number of seats. The Justice Party and others did not secure proportional representation seats as their vote share did not meet the threshold (5%).

In the 2018 local elections, the Democratic Party dominated by winning 135 out of 142 seats. The composition of the assembly has completely changed compared to four years ago.

Accordingly, starting from July with the 8th term of the directly elected government, there is a high possibility of conflicts arising at every stage, from the election of the chairperson and standing committee chairs to the deliberation and approval of various ordinances and agendas.

With an equal number of seats for both parties, difficulties are expected starting with the chairperson election.

According to the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly's meeting rules, the chairperson and vice-chairperson are elected by a majority vote of the attending members. If no candidate receives a majority, a second vote is held. If no majority is achieved in the second vote, a runoff between the top two candidates is conducted, and the candidate with the most votes wins. If the runoff results in a tie, the older candidate is elected.

If the ruling and opposition parties fail to reach an agreement during the deliberation and approval of ordinances and agendas and the matter goes to a vote, it could create an unfavorable situation for the provincial executive branch and the ruling party (Democratic Party of Korea).