Voting by Party Members and Public Opinion Polls Begin
Kim Moonsoo and Jang Donghyuk Expected to Reach Final Round with Strong Party Support
Ahn Cheolsoo: "I Expect to Outperform Polls by 10%"
As the People Power Party began its party member voting and public opinion poll on August 20 to elect a new party leader, there are predictions that Kim Moonsoo and Jang Donghyuk, both members of the anti-impeachment faction, will advance to the final round. However, the outcome is expected to change depending on whether candidate Ahn Cheolsoo, who is calling for "conservative innovation," can gain momentum in the final stages.
Candidates running for the People Power Party leadership election are cheering before the 3rd television debate of the 6th party convention held at the TV Chosun studio in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 19th. Photo by Yonhap News
On the first day of voting, candidates Kim Moonsoo and Jang Donghyuk criticized the special prosecutor's attempt to seize the People Power Party's member list, rallying conservative voters. Jang met with reporters at the National Assembly in the morning and said, "The search and seizure of the party member list is clearly an illegal investigation," adding, "To protest this, I held a solo demonstration in front of the Seoul Central District Court and the special prosecutor's office, and today I will continue my one-man protest in front of the presidential office." Kim, who has been staging a sit-in at the party headquarters for eight days to block the search and seizure, also appealed for support through a press release, stating, "I will make sure Lee Jaemyung is held accountable."
In contrast, Ahn Cheolsoo emphasized his difference from Kim Moonsoo and Jang Donghyuk, telling reporters in the morning, "We must have no flaws regarding martial law and impeachment issues in order to avoid being attacked by the Democratic Party as a party of rebellion." There was speculation that Ahn Cheolsoo and Cho Kyungtae might unify their candidacies to overcome their disadvantage compared to the anti-impeachment candidates, but this ultimately fell through due to Ahn's refusal. Ahn said, "The characteristic of my campaigns is that I always receive 5 to 10 percent more votes than the polls suggest," expressing confidence that he would make it to the final round.
While many analysts expect Kim Moonsoo, who was the People Power Party's final presidential candidate in the last election, to advance to the final round in first place, if he fails to secure a majority, he may face Jang Donghyuk, who is supported by the far-right pro-Gil faction, in the runoff. In the third TV debate the previous day, when asked by the moderator whom he would nominate for a by-election between former People Power Party leader Han Donghoon and Jeon, Jang chose Jeon. Unlike Kim, Jang is a sitting lawmaker and has the support of the old mainstream pro-Yoon faction.
Ahn Cheolsoo and Cho Kyungtae are distancing themselves from former President Yoon and Jeon, competing for the votes of party members seeking conservative innovation. Notably, in the previous day's debate, when asked whom he would reinstate to the People Power Party if he could choose only one, out of four candidates, Ahn was the only one to select Lee Junseok, leader of the Reform Party, drawing attention. In response, Lee expressed his support on his social media account, saying, "Ahn Cheolsoo's sense of crisis and message are correct and strong."
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