Kwon Youngse Surprised by Lee Jae Myung's Vote Share: "Reminds Me of Elections in Authoritarian States Like Putin and Hussein"

Criticizing the Primary Results by Comparing Them to Putin, etc.
"Unite the Forces of the Free Camp" Accelerating the Anti-Myung Big Tent

Kwon Youngse, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, indirectly criticized the nearly 90% vote share of Democratic Party presidential primary candidate Lee Jae Myung, saying, "Seeing the recent Democratic Party primary results, I question whether this is truly democracy," and drew a comparison to the leaders of Russia and Iraq.

On April 20, Kwon wrote on his social media account, "In the first regional primary for the Chungcheong area, candidate Lee Jae Myung secured a commanding victory with 88.15% of the votes, while candidate Kim Dong Yeon received 7.54% and candidate Kim Kyung Soo garnered 4.31%," adding, "In reality, the remaining candidates are just bystanders." In particular, Kwon likened Lee's vote share to that of leaders in authoritarian states. He stated, "Russian President Vladimir Putin won this year's presidential election with 87.28% of the vote, and former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein also once held an election with a vote share close to 100%."

Kwon Youngse, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, indirectly criticized the nearly 90% vote share of candidate Lee Jaemyung in the Democratic Party's presidential primary, saying, "Seeing the recent Democratic Party primary results, I question whether this is truly democracy," comparing it to leaders of Russia and Iraq. Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers Group

He continued, "Party primaries are the most important stage for presenting a vision for the future and a willingness to innovate before the people," stressing, "I want to reiterate that a true democracy is not a primary that remains a mere formality, but one where genuine competition, fairness, and diversity are alive." Earlier, on April 20, Lee also received 90.81% of the votes in the Yeongnam regional primary, bringing his cumulative vote share to 89.56%.

In the first regional presidential primary for the Chungcheong area of the Democratic Party, candidate Lee Jae Myung secured a commanding victory with 88.15% of the votes. Following him, candidate Kim Dong Yeon received 7.54%, and candidate Kim Kyung Soo garnered 4.31%. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

Meanwhile, on April 21, Kwon Youngse stated, "All members of the free camp who believe in the constitutional order of the Republic of Korea must unite as one," and added, "Today, the People Power Party will once again open its doors wide." At the Emergency Response Committee meeting held at the National Assembly that day, Kwon emphasized, "We will not dwell on the past of those who temporarily left the party or were affiliated with other parties." He further said, "What is needed now is not stubbornness within our camp, but the courage to unite," and added, "Anyone who has the will to defend Korea and agrees with the cause of freedom and the Constitution is welcome to join us." This is interpreted as an effort to accelerate the so-called 'anti-Myung big tent' strategy by bringing together former members and figures previously expelled from the party, in order to check Lee Jae Myung, the Democratic Party candidate who continues to lead in presidential preference polls.