1st Meeting of the 'National Mind General Election Planning Team' on the 8th
Imanhee: "Winning, Fair, and Orderly Candidate Selection"
As aides from the Yongsan Presidential Office and the Cabinet prepare to run in next year's general election, the People Power Party's General Election Planning Team has presented a three-pronged roadmap that includes measures to eradicate 'closed-door nominations.'
On the afternoon of the 8th, the People Power Party's General Election Planning Team held its first meeting at the National Assembly to discuss future schedules and operational plans. Lee Man-hee, the secretary-general and head of the team, stated in his opening remarks, "The principle of nominations that the General Election Planning Team aims for is clear," adding, "There will be no closed-door nominations shrouded in secrecy and done arbitrarily."
Secretary-General Lee also outlined three nomination principles: ▲winning nominations ▲fair nominations ▲orderly nominations. He said, "The first principle is winning nominations. Competent candidates with capability and morality should confidently become our party's representatives."
He continued, "The second is fair nominations. There will be no place for favoritism, personal relationships, or selfish interests. There will be no nominations based on ranking or favoritism that deviate from the public's expectations," explaining, "We will create nominations where anyone can compete fairly through transparent rules."
The General Election Planning Team will create nomination rules and manage and review the overall general election process, including the development of key policy pledges. The three core principles are public sentiment, reassurance, and sincerity. Secretary-General Lee added, "With a humble attitude to win the people's hearts, reassurance means becoming a party that the public can trust and entrust, and sincerity means we will definitely work for the people."
He also conveyed that considerations for women and youth will be reflected in the revision of nomination rules. After the meeting, he told reporters, "It is important to create rules where those who have been in politics for a long time and young women and men running for the first time can start on the same line without gaps."
Regarding the Innovation Committee's proposal to exclude the bottom 20% of incumbent lawmakers from nominations, he stated that discussions will take place if a formal proposal is submitted. Secretary-General Lee said, "We plan to discuss such issues according to our timeline," adding, "If the party formally accepts the Innovation Committee's proposal, the General Election Planning Team will consider how to incorporate it into the nomination process while setting the rules."
The General Election Planning Team plans to hold about seven meetings once or twice a week until the 20th of next month to discuss nomination rules and other matters. After the team's activities conclude, the Nomination Management Committee is expected to be launched. Secretary-General Lee said, "Once a rough outline of various rules and key pledges is created through the General Election Planning Team's activities, the Nomination Management Committee will be formed."
In this context, aides from the Cabinet and the Presidential Office are expected to cause some friction during the nomination process as they prepare to run in strongholds of the People Power Party in next year's general election.
It is known that Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choo Kyung-ho and Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong are coordinating resignations within the year after the passage of next year's budget, and the candidacies of Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Cho Seung-hwan, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Jeong Hwang-geun, Financial Supervisory Service Governor Lee Bok-hyun, First Vice Minister of Land Kim Oh-jin, Vice Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Park Sung-hoon, and Second Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Jang Mi-ran are also being discussed.
Additionally, following the reshuffle of the Presidential Office staff, it is expected that 25 to 30 people, including former officials, from senior secretaries to administrative officers will run in next year's general election. Legal Secretary Ju Jin-woo, a former prosecutor, is strongly rumored to run in Suyeong, Busan, where Representative Jeon Bong-min is incumbent, and National Planning Secretary Kang Myung-gu is likely to run in Gumi-eul, North Gyeongsang Province, where Representative Kim Young-sik is incumbent. Former and current administrative officers such as Lee Byung-hoon (Pohang Nam-Ulneung, North Gyeongsang), Heo Cheong-hoe (Pocheon-Gapyeong, Gyeonggi), Lee Dong-seok (Chungju, North Chungcheong), and Kim In-gyu (Seo-Dong District, Busan) are also running in constituencies held by People Power Party incumbents.
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