Asia Forum 21 Invited Debate
Nomination Criteria to Be Established for Basic Council Members
Inseon Lee, Chairman of the Daegu City Party Committee of the People Power Party, indicated on August 26 that "the Daegu mayoral candidate for next year's local elections will be nominated through a primary, and there is a possibility that some district office heads may be cut off."
At 10 a.m. that day, during a meeting of 'Asia Forum 21,' a gathering of mid-career journalists in the Daegu region, Chairman Lee stated, "The nomination criteria for incumbent district office heads seeking a third term should be determined by evaluating how much work they have accomplished, which is different from the criteria applied to district or city council members."
ㅑ
Chairman Lee said, "The heads of Suseong District, Nam District, and Jung District in Daegu are all serving their second terms. If a primary is held for the People Power Party nomination in next year's local elections, the incumbent district office heads will undoubtedly have an advantage. Other candidates are unable to defeat the incumbents. Even finding faults to justify sending them home is difficult, as local lawmakers have confided. In the previous local elections, there were also cases where district office heads in Daegu were cut off. This was applied when public opinion polls and support for incumbent district office heads were lower than the People Power Party's support. After Chuseok, the atmosphere for the local elections will heat up," he said, suggesting that there is a possibility of some district office heads being cut off in next year's elections as well.
Chairman Lee stated, "Next year, we plan to invite someone with extensive experience to serve as the chairman of the party nomination committee for the Daegu City Party to manage the local election nominations. It is difficult for the city party chairman to concurrently serve as the nomination committee chairman."
He continued, "Unlike the district office heads, the Daegu mayoral seat is currently vacant, so the situation is different. I hope someone who can solve Daegu's challenges will be chosen. All mayoral candidates should step into the ring and present their own visions. The most important thing is that, once the final candidate is decided, everyone accepts the result and supports that person," he said, strongly emphasizing that the Daegu mayoral candidate will be nominated through a primary.
Chairman Lee added, "When it comes to the work needed in Daegu, those who cannot present a vision or have no concrete ideas on how to utilize their networks are not suitable candidates for mayor. I will not run for mayor. As the city party chairman, I will take on the role of fairly supervising the primary," he stated.
Chairman Lee also said, "Until now, basic council members have been nominated without any clear standards. However, from now on, the amount and type of work accomplished must be quantified. There is a possibility that the opposition Democratic Party, which has well-trained members, may nominate strong candidates for basic council positions by lowering the bar. We will prepare thoroughly," he said.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
