PPP Innovation Committee Holds Second Meeting... Announces Party Structural Reform Plan
Proportional Representation Nominations to Be Decided by Regional Party Member Votes
On July 11, the Innovation Committee of the People Power Party decided to abolish the current Supreme Council system and adopt a "single-leader system" for the party leader in order to strengthen the party leader's leadership. The committee also proposed the establishment of a National Public Opinion Council and the introduction of a bottom-up proportional representation nomination system for vulnerable regions.
Ho Junseok, spokesperson for the People Power Party and a member of the Innovation Committee, met with reporters at the party headquarters after the committee's second meeting that day and announced these reform measures, stating, "We discussed structural reforms at the level of a party re-foundation."
The Innovation Committee decided to abolish the current Supreme Council system. Spokesperson Ho explained, "The ambiguous mixed leadership system, which led to live-broadcasted fights and internal strife through Supreme Council meetings, will come to an end. Instead, we are adopting a system in which the party leader exercises firm leadership, builds policy capabilities, and leads the party to fight well and win."
In its place, a Central Party Affairs Council composed of nine members will be established. The Central Party Affairs Council, which will meet twice a week, will include the party leader, the floor leader, the policy committee chair, the secretary-general, the chief spokesperson, the youth committee chair, the women's committee chair, and two non-parliamentary district party chairs appointed by the party leader.
The committee also proposed establishing a National Public Opinion Council. The 17 provincial and metropolitan party chairs will be directly elected by local party members in their respective regions. The council will be chaired by the party leader and will meet once a week. The National Public Opinion Council will perform the functions of the Standing National Committee under Article 23 of the party constitution. Spokesperson Ho stated, "The council can draft party constitutional amendments and enact or revise party regulations. It can also request the convening of a party convention or a Central Party Affairs Council meeting."
In addition, regarding proportional representation nominations, the Innovation Committee decided to significantly increase quotas for regions where the party is weak, such as Honam and the Seoul metropolitan area, as well as for youth, and to select candidates through regional party member votes. For example, if the number of proportional representation seats for Gyeonggi Province is determined, the candidates will not be unilaterally selected by the nomination management committee, but will instead be finalized through a vote by Gyeonggi Province party members.
Spokesperson Ho explained that the reform proposal "will be reported to the Emergency Committee, and if the Emergency Committee decides that a party member vote is necessary, it may be put to a party member vote."
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