Evaluation of Ulsan Nam-gu Basic Council Election on Facebook
Ulsan Nam-gu Election, Democratic Party Candidate Defeats People Power Party
"Even though it is a basic council member election, the fact that the conservative candidate lost in a 1:1 situation in Nam-gu, Ulsan is a serious situation."
Former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok expressed concerns about the April 5 by-elections held the previous day in a post on social media (SNS) on the 6th. The basic council member election (Nam-gu Na) in Nam-gu, Ulsan attracted attention as it featured a head-to-head contest between the Democratic Party and the People Power Party candidates.
Democratic Party candidate Choi Deok-jong won with 50.6% of the vote, defeating People Power Party candidate Shin Sang-hyun, who received 49.4%. Although the political influence may be limited given that it is a basic council member election, it is noteworthy that the Democratic Party won in Ulsan, a stronghold of the People Power Party, without conservative division.
Former leader Lee Jun-seok diagnosed, "In by-elections with low voter turnout, the elderly tend to vote more, which is usually advantageous, but the fact that the vote share dropped by nearly 10% compared to the presidential or local elections means something is seriously wrong."
In particular, former leader Lee Jun-seok emphasized, "If this unusual situation is happening in the PK region, it means that even Gangnam in the metropolitan area cannot be assured. Based on the presidential election, Nam-gu, Ulsan had a higher vote share than Songpa (56.76%), Yongsan (56.44%), and Bundang, Seongnam (55.00%). Not to mention the other constituencies in the metropolitan area. The party’s line must be normalized quickly and renewed with determination."
Former leader Lee Jun-seok predicted, "Based on the presidential election, Nam-gu, Ulsan (58.43%) is the place with the highest vote share in Ulsan, so in addition to Jung-gu, Ulsan (57.37%), traditionally progressive strongholds like Buk-gu (47.13%) and Dong-gu (48.31%) will face extremely close elections next year."
Former leader Lee Jun-seok explained, "In the PK region, areas with slightly lower party support than Ulsan such as Changwon Seongsan (55.28%), Changwon Jinhae (56.28%), Yangsan (53.25%), Busan Buk (56.35%) - Gangseo (53.50%), Yeongdo (54.97%), Saha (55.97%), and Gijang (55.55%) will also face many variables depending on the personal skills of incumbent lawmakers, but the situation will be even more difficult than a close race."
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