Mixed Reactions by Party in Each Region under the Multi-Member District System
"Yeongnam Democratic Party Branch Chair Welcomes with Both Hands Raised"
"People Power Party Secures Over 40% in Seoul"
[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] On the 3rd, Ha Tae-kyung, a member of the People Power Party, commented on the expected seats if the large multi-member district system is introduced, saying, "(The Democratic Party's vote share) in Daegu and Gyeongbuk is around 30%, and in Busan it is over 40%. Then, in Busan, the Democratic Party should be considered to take about half, or more than 30-40% of the seats."
In an interview with MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' on the same day, Ha said, "The regional heads of the Yeongnam Democratic Party chapters are the ones who would welcome the Democratic Party with open arms."
He assessed that if President Yoon Seok-yeol's positive stance on the large multi-member district system is actually implemented in the 22nd general election, it would not be unfavorable to the Democratic Party. However, Ha predicted that in the metropolitan area, especially Seoul, the results would be favorable to the People Power Party. Ha explained, "In Seoul, our party gets about 40% or more (vote share), but we hardly get seats, except in Gangnam."
He explained that the number of seats secured is too small compared to the People Power Party's vote share in Seoul. In the 21st general election in 2020, out of 49 constituencies in Seoul, the Democratic Party won 41 seats, and the United Future Party (the predecessor of the People Power Party) won 8 seats. At that time, despite United Future Party candidates achieving a high vote share of around 45% in Seoul, some candidates lost.
If the large multi-member district system is introduced in Seoul, theoretically, the People Power Party could secure more than 40% of the seats. Based on the 21st general election, this would allow the People Power Party to secure around 20 seats in Seoul.
This means that the large multi-member district system could be applied favorably to the People Power Party in Seoul and to the Democratic Party in Busan.
Ha said, "(The large multi-member district system) should be tried on a pilot basis first. Because in rural areas, one electoral district currently covers about four counties. This could lead to situations where the entire Gangwon Province becomes one electoral district. Therefore, rural areas should be reviewed once, and I think it should be tried mainly in large cities with populations of about 500,000 to 600,000 or more, and then nationwide expansion can be discussed later."
Additionally, Ha stated, "I believe proportional representation is not necessary," advocating for the abolition of the proportional representation system.
Ha explained, "Young people have faster access to information than older people. They have more knowledge. Since we live in an era of internet knowledge sharing, even if someone is an expert in a certain field, as long as they have basic information, the speed at which lawmakers can acquire knowledge has greatly increased, so it does not matter much."
While proportional representation is used to appoint representatives of specific sectors, considering the expanded accessibility to information, Ha argued that there is no reason to maintain the proportional representation system.
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