21st General Election Seoul Gangseo Voting Predicts By-election
Ruling Party 38.7%, Opposition 56.6% General Election Results Shared
"Ruling Party Must Prepare for Election Humbly"
It is noteworthy that a former leader of the ruling party assessed the 10·11 Seoul Gangseo District Mayor by-election, which will be a turning point for Jungkook, as being about 18% unfavorable. This means that the ruling party, despite criticism for ignoring the judiciary's decision, went ahead with nominating former Gangseo District Mayor Kim Tae-woo, indicating that the election race is not an easy one.
On the 26th, former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok posted on social media (SNS), "A few days ago on
'Ttangboreogayo' is a segment on the YouTube channel 'Yeouido Reconstruction Association,' featuring former leader Lee Jun-seok and others, which forecasts the situation of the 22nd general election in key constituencies. Lee Jun-seok predicted that the Gangseo District Mayor election would not be easy for the ruling party.
The People Power Party nominated former Gangseo District Mayor Kim Tae-woo after a primary, while the Democratic Party nominated Jin Gyo-hoon, a former Deputy Commissioner of the National Police Agency.
The ruling party is supporting the Gangseo District Mayor election mainly with figures whose vote-getting ability has been verified in the metropolitan area, such as Assemblyman Ahn Cheol-soo and former Assemblywoman Na Kyung-won. The opposition party is approaching the Gangseo District Mayor election in an almost all-out effort, including a former Speaker of the National Assembly.
Former leader Lee Jun-seok urged the ruling party, saying, "There are many saying the atmosphere is worse than the last general election, but since this is a by-election, the turnout might be low, which could favor conservatives. This is why we see it this way. From this figure, the ruling party should humbly prepare for the election."
The low expected turnout, a characteristic of by-elections, is an advantage for the ruling party, but considering the unfavorable general election atmosphere for the ruling party, the prediction was made accordingly. Although there is still time until the official campaign and actual voting, so it is difficult to conclude that the current situation will continue until the end, Lee Jun-seok warned that it will not be an easy election.
Former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok's prediction for the Seoul Gangseo District Mayor election posted on SNS. [Photo by Former Leader Lee Jun-seok's Facebook]
Earlier, Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo also warned, "The camp that loses the Gangseo District Mayor by-election will face a megaton-level shock."
From the ruling party's perspective, nominating candidate Kim Tae-woo itself signifies a frontal breakthrough. The by-election was held due to the loss of office by former Mayor Kim Tae-woo, and nominating him again is an act of taking on political burden.
The general assessment is that Kim Tae-woo was nominated because the Gangseo District Mayor election was judged to be winnable in terms of recognition and competitiveness.
The ruling party has made a political gamble, and as interest in the Gangseo District Mayor election grows, the political aftershocks that the election results will bring are expected to increase.
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