To Secure Symbol No. 3, Must Surpass '6 Seats' of Justice Party
Reform Future Party Needs 4 More Seats... Will More Incumbents Join?
Will the 'incumbent joining' rush, considered a gateway to success in the third zone, continue? On the 1st, Yoo Seung-hee, a former Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party of Korea and regarded as an original pro-Lee Jae-myung faction member who was eliminated from the nomination, announced that she would join 'New Future,' led by former leader Lee Nak-yeon, along with about 300 supporters. Although Yoo is not an incumbent, there is a prospect that the joining of incumbent lawmakers who were eliminated from the nomination could follow starting with her. In this case, the third zone could surpass the Justice Party and secure the 'number 3' election symbol.
At a press conference held at the National Assembly on the same day, former Supreme Council member Yoo stated, "I am leaving the Democratic Party, where I have been for the past 29 years," adding, "This decision was made after spending several days in agonizing pain." She said, "Many lawmakers, including the party leader, have been focusing on shielding themselves from moral controversies, failing to properly check the Yoon Seok-yeol administration's unilateral actions and government failures, and have not presented policy alternatives for major reform tasks, resulting in the disappearance of public livelihood," and added, "I am ashamed that the Democratic Party has played no role and lacked the courage to speak out when it came to this state."
Recently, the Democratic Party's Candidate Verification Committee ruled Yoo ineligible as a preliminary candidate for the 22nd general election due to her refusal to accept the results of the 21st general election primary. This was because Yoo had demanded the nullification of her nomination during the 2020 21st general election and conducted an indefinite hunger strike. Yoo claims, "Even though I ultimately accepted the primary results and sent a text supporting the party's candidate, the Verification Committee arbitrarily interpreted the party's constitution and regulations and made an unfair decision."
Yoo said, "I do not know why I was judged ineligible or why I became a victim of inconsistent verification," adding, "I do not know if there was any political intention, but one thing is clear: this unfair case is not just my problem alone." She continued, "If the party's leaders fail to uphold principles and trust and lack consistency and justification, the party's official system will collapse, and fairness will inevitably be lost."
Yoo has been an original pro-Lee Jae-myung supporter since the 2017 presidential primary. She entered the National Assembly as a proportional representative of the Uri Party in the 17th National Assembly in 2004 and was elected in the 19th and 20th general elections running in Seoul Seongbuk-gap. Although Yoo is not an incumbent lawmaker, it is expected that the joining of incumbents eliminated from the nomination to the third zone could follow starting with her.
At present, the Justice Party is most likely to secure the number 3 election symbol with its six seats in the National Assembly, but if the 'incumbent joining rush' accelerates, the 'Reform Future Party' (tentative name) could also secure the number 3 symbol. Considering that election symbols are assigned according to the number of seats in the National Assembly, the Reform Future Party would need to secure seven incumbent lawmakers to surpass the Justice Party and obtain the number 3 symbol. The Reform Future Party is a party jointly being founded by Lee Nak-yeon's 'New Future' and the 'Future Coalition,' led by three lawmakers who left the Democratic Party. Currently, the Reform Future Party includes three lawmakers who left the Democratic Party (Lee Won-wook, Cho Eung-cheon, and Kim Jong-min).
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