Record High Early Voting Rate in General Elections
People Power Party Relies on Shy Conservatives
Democratic Party Aims for Turnaround in Governance
With the early voting rate for the April 10 general election reaching a record high of 31.28%, both ruling and opposition parties are interpreting the results as favorable to their respective camps.
On the first day of early voting for the 22nd National Assembly election on the 5th, voters are casting their early votes at the early voting station in Sinchon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@
On the 8th, Kim Kyung-yul, Vice Chairman of the People Power Party's Election Countermeasures Committee, appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' and analyzed, “Early voting has become quite institutionally stable, and controversies over election fraud that existed in some quarters have been dispelled, so many people see this as a natural phenomenon.” He continued, “Although it is widely analyzed that the record-high early voting rate among all general elections is generally unfavorable to conservative parties, based on my recent experiences reading the current political landscape, it is absolutely not disadvantageous,” adding, “Even though it set an all-time high, when looking at the overall voter turnout, I wonder if that is really the case, and it is definitely not bad for the People Power Party.”
Kim Sung-tae, Co-Chairman of the People Power Party's Seoul Regional Election Committee, also said in an interview on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' “From the People Power Party's perspective, it appears that shy conservatives actively participated in voting.” He analyzed, “On the first day of early voting, Friday, many elderly people and those not engaged in economic activities within local communities, who find it easier to vote, participated, while on Saturday, a large number of economically active office workers turned out.”
He added, “It is an undeniable fact that on Friday, many voters from the conservative camp, on whom we have high expectations, voted early, and although participation from office workers was also significant on the second day, the ratio was not one-sided, so we remain hopeful,” and said, “While they may not openly say they support President Yoon, I believe that moderate voters with rational thinking can help maintain balance in the voting.”
On the other hand, Han Byung-do, Head of the Democratic Party's General Election Strategy Headquarters, emphasized that the voter turnout increased by more than 5% compared to the 21st general election in the Honam and metropolitan areas, evaluating that “the higher the early voting rate, the more it clearly works in favor of the Democratic Party.” Regarding the emergency press conference held the previous day by People Power Party candidates Kwon Seong-dong, Yoon Sang-hyun, and Na Kyung-won, appealing for the total mobilization of shy conservatives in Yeongnam, he said, “They probably felt a sense of crisis because of the high early voting rate,” and analyzed, “As the election approaches, it is natural for both parties to consolidate, but since the People Power Party's analysis judges the current situation as unfavorable, they will plead and launch negative attacks to rally votes.”
He added, “In the case of Bu-Ul-Gyeong (Busan, Ulsan, Gyeongnam), negative sentiment toward government administration is very high. There is a significant possibility that the atmosphere for judgment against the administration will naturally operate,” and said, “Not only shy conservatives but also shy Democrats in Yeongnam may consolidate and come out to vote.”
Democratic Party lawmaker Park Yong-jin also analyzed, “The high interest and participation in the election clearly indicate that a certain trend is taking shape from the voters' perspective,” and said, “The voters' will to reverse the atmosphere regarding the government's and ruling party's administration is being reflected in the voter turnout.” However, he cautioned, “While it is clear that the mood for a ‘judgment vote’ or ‘disciplinary vote’ hoping for the Yoon Seok-yeol government and the People Power Party to come to their senses is ripening,” he also said, “since public sentiment is not finalized until voters enter the polling station, mark their ballots, and leave the polling place, talking prematurely about whether the Democratic Party will secure 200 seats or not can be hasty and appear arrogant. Even if the current atmosphere is favorable for the Democratic Party, they must not become complacent.”
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