People Power Party Absorbs Satellite Party Through ARS Voting

"Created Unavoidably to Protect the Future of the People and Democracy"
National Committee Members Likely to Approve Two-Party Merger Through Four ARS Votes

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The People Power Party and its proportional satellite party, Future of the People, will make a final decision on their merger.

On the morning of the 22nd, the People Power Party will hold a National Committee meeting at the National Assembly and finalize the absorption merger of Future of the People through an automated response service (ARS) vote. The People Power Party and Future of the People resolved to merge at the elected members' general meeting on the 16th and convened the Standing National Committee on the 18th to decide on calling the National Committee.

Lee Heon-seung, Chair of the People Power Party National Committee, said at the National Committee meeting that day, "In the 22nd general election, the people wielded a disciplinary stick against the ruling party, the People Power Party," adding, "The first thing the People Power Party must do to return to the essence of politics?communication and compromise?is to merge with Future of the People." He continued, "The mixed-member proportional representation system, which is the result of political strife and discord, ultimately gave rise to satellite parties in this election as well," and added, "The People Power Party must accept the people's disciplinary stick and not hesitate to take the right path of communication and compromise to revive people's livelihoods."

Yoon Jae-ok, Acting Party Leader of the People Power Party, said, "Since the general election on the 10th, the People Power Party has been sincerely reflecting before the people and fiercely discussing to find the best alternative to become a ruling party that the people can trust," adding, "This time, the People Power Party must show true change and reform by completely transforming itself." He also said, "Future of the People was created as an inevitable choice under the distorted mixed-member proportional representation system to protect the people's right to choose and democracy," and "Before the People Power Party begins the promised change to the people, it is natural to unite forces by merging with Future of the People, which was born with the same goal as one family."

Acting Leader Yoon also pointed out the drawbacks caused by the mixed-member proportional representation system in this election. He said, "About 40 proportional representation parties competed in this election, and 4.4% of the total proportional representation votes were counted as invalid," emphasizing, "It is the People Power Party's natural duty to reform and innovate while also correcting the mixed-member proportional representation system."

After the National Committee concludes, the national committee members will decide on the absorption merger of the People Power Party and Future of the People through four ARS votes at 15-minute intervals starting from 10:30 a.m. They only need to participate and vote once out of the four times. Once the absorption merger is decided, the two parties' working groups will hold a joint meeting and report to the Central Election Commission to complete the merger process. A total of 108 elected members?90 constituency winners from the People Power Party and 18 proportional representatives from Future of the People?will belong to the People Power Party.