The acting head of the governing People Power Party (PPP) stated on May 8th that the party intends to proceed with an intended public survey aimed at choosing a single conservative candidate for the upcoming presidential election in June. This decision comes despite opposition from their designated nominee.
Kwon Young-se, who leads the PPP’s emergency leadership committee, stated that the two-day voting process along with a planned televised debate betweenPPP nominee Kim Moon-soo and independent candidate Han Duck-soo will continue as scheduled. The aim is to select a unified candidate by May 11.
We have just forty-eight hours," Kwon informed his fellow party members during an urgent gathering at the National Assembly in Seoul. "In this period, we need to accomplish reunification and present significant progress. The process led by our party starts now, and I am fully prepared to assume accountability for it.
He further stated that any political repercussions would be worth it if they aided in blocking Democratic Party nominee Lee Jae-myung, who he charged with exhibiting authoritarian behavior.
The party's shift occurred just one day following Kim's criticism of the reconciliation strategy, which he described as an underhanded method aimed at removing him from power. During a media briefing on May 8th, Kim charged the PPP leaders with attempting to install Han as his successor against his wishes. By invoking Clause 74 within the party constitution, Kim moved to halt the reconciliation efforts and indicated that he might pursue judicial remedies.
PPP floor leader Kwon Seong-dong sharply criticized Kim, describing his position as "pitiful" and charging that he is desperately holding onto his candidature. He stated, "This morning, I watched him conduct a press conference solely to maintain his status as a candidate," adding that it was extremely disheartening.
Kwon added that politics should be about public service, not personal ambition. “It is wrong to defy the will of our party members for the sake of holding onto the presidential candidacy,” he said.
The leaders of the PPP contended that the drive for a single nominee mirrors the strong preference shared by both party members and the general populace. An internal PPP survey carried out on May 7 revealed that among almost 213,000 participants, 82.8% favored combining the two candidacies, while 86.7% believed the choice ought to be finalized prior to the May 11 registration cutoff date.
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