Majority Winner to Be Decided as Presidential Candidate Without Runoff
If Presidential Candidate Is Finalized, Party to Swiftly Shift to Election Mode
On the 27th, following the conclusion of the joint policy presentation for the Seoul metropolitan area, Gangwon, and Jeju primaries to select the Democratic Party's 21st presidential candidate, the vote count results will be announced shortly.
The Democratic Party began its final joint primary presentation for the Seoul metropolitan area, Gangwon, and Jeju at 3:00 p.m. on this day at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. The policy presentations were delivered in the following order: former party leader Lee Jaemyung, Gyeonggi Governor Kim Dongyeon, and former South Gyeongsang Governor Kim Kyungsoo. With the presentations now concluded, the party is proceeding with the vote count.
The Democratic Party's primary system determines the final candidate by combining 50% of the results from regional party member votes and 50% from a public opinion poll conducted from the 21st through today. If a candidate secures a majority, the party will select the presidential candidate without a runoff. However, if no candidate achieves a majority, a runoff will be held from the 29th to the 30th, with the final candidate to be decided on the 1st of next month.
After the vote count is completed, the results will be announced in the following order: Seoul metropolitan area party member electoral college, national delegates, and overseas voter electoral college. The cumulative results from these groups will then be combined with the results from the national electoral college to announce the final outcome.
In the Honam regional primary held the previous day, former party leader Lee ranked first with a vote share of 88.69%. Including the combined results from the Chungcheong and Yeongnam regional primaries held last weekend, Lee's cumulative vote share among party members and national delegates is 89.04%. Kim Dongyeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, is in second place with 6.54%, and former South Gyeongsang Governor Kim Kyungsoo is in third with 4.42%.
The three candidates are greeting party members and supporters present at the policy presentation venue as they await the vote count results. If the Democratic Party's presidential candidate is finalized today, the party plans to swiftly establish its presidential campaign system. Having strengthened internal unity through the primaries, the party aims to broaden its support base to include moderates and unaffiliated voters.
The result for the second-place candidate is also drawing attention, as it could enhance that candidate's political presence in the upcoming party leadership election and next year's local elections. During the policy presentation, former party leader Lee stated, "I will stand on the side of the people, not on one side or the other. I will value competence regardless of political color or region."
Governor Kim Dongyeon said, "Let us part ways with the language of division and exclusion, such as pro-Lee, anti-Lee, or 'subak' (watermelon). We are all united under the name of the Democratic Party." Former Governor Kim Kyungsoo emphasized, "Let us make the Democratic Party president and the party's 170-seat supermajority not a source of fear, but of hope and expectation."
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