Candidate Announcement from 24th to 26th of This Month
Application Period is 27th to 28th
Central Party Nominates Jeonju-eul National Assembly and Changnyeong County Governor Candidates
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] The People Power Party's 4th and 5th by-election nomination management committee will decide the nominations for the National Assembly member of Jeonju-eul, Jeonbuk, and the mayor of Changnyeong County, Gyeongnam, in early next month.
The central party's nomination management committee held its first meeting on the 15th at the National Assembly main building and decided on the candidate announcement and application periods. The candidate announcement period is three days from the 24th to the 26th of this month, and the application period is from the 27th to the 28th.
Committee member Rep. Yang Geum-hee told reporters after the meeting, "We are planning to announce and receive applications by counting backward from early March when the nominations will be made."
The 4th and 5th by-elections are held when vacancies arise in elected positions such as National Assembly members, basic local government heads, and metropolitan/basic council members. According to Rep. Yang, the central party nomination committee decided to nominate candidates for the Jeonju-eul National Assembly election and the Changnyeong County mayor election in Gyeongnam, while metropolitan and basic council members will be managed by the city/provincial party branches. Jeonju-eul is the constituency of former Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Sang-jik, who lost his seat due to violations of the Public Official Election Act.
Additionally, the nomination committee decided on the main screening criteria for nominations that day. Rep. Yang said, "We established screening criteria related to candidates' morality, trustworthiness among local voters, and party identity," adding, "In particular, we approved detailed criminal history criteria for disqualified candidates." She explained, "Especially for sex crimes or serious crimes, nomination exclusion applies regardless of pardon or reinstatement."
Kim Seok-ki, the nomination committee chairman and secretary-general, said at the meeting, "The seat of a Honam National Assembly member holds greater significance than just one seat," and added, "If our party's candidate wins in Honam at this point, one year before the 22nd general election, it will create great confidence that there are no longer any barren areas and that we can succeed."
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