Voter turnout on the first day of the National Assembly drops by 4.7%P… Last debate also hits ‘cancellation of prosecution’

by times news cr

2024-07-20 14:25:01

“Disappointed in the revelations” “It’s because of the weekday voting”… Busy calculating the pros and cons of the low voter turnout
Attention focused on the final voter turnout among party members
Han “Fast-track Yoon indicted” statement… Roh “Water Ghost Operation” Won “Hell Mouse”

People Power Party leadership candidates Na Kyung-won, Han Dong-hoon, Yoon Sang-hyun, and Won Hee-ryong (from left) pose for a commemorative photo ahead of the televised debate for the leadership of the People Power Party at the July 23rd National Convention held on the afternoon of the 19th. The candidates engaged in a heated debate over the issue of the request for the cancellation of the prosecution in the National Assembly fast-track conflict case until the last debate. Reporter Jang Seung-yoon [email protected]

The voter turnout on the first day of the People Power Party’s 7/23 convention on the 19th was 29.98%, down 4.74 percentage points from the 3/8 convention last year (34.72%), which recorded the highest convention voter turnout ever (55.1%). Within the party, there were mixed interpretations of the drop in voter turnout on the first day, with some saying, “Party members’ turnout has decreased due to disappointment over the self-destructive convention” and others saying, “Unlike the last convention, voting was held on a weekday,” while each candidate’s camp argued, “It is a voter turnout that is advantageous to both of us.”

The candidates also engaged in a heated exchange of words in the final televised debate at the convention, with the aftermath of the revelations about the request for the cancellation of the fast-track (quick processing agenda) conflict case. Regarding candidate Han Dong-hoon’s answer the day before during the fast-track indictment, “The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office chief was President Yoon Seok-yeol,” candidate Na Kyung-won criticized it as “a tactic to drag President Yoon in,” and candidate Won Hee-ryong criticized it as “a fake apology. It was a hell mouse.”

● “Voting rate is in our favor” at each camp

According to the People Power Party Election Commission, on the first day of mobile voting for the July 23rd convention, 252,308 out of 841,614 party members completed their votes, resulting in a voter turnout of 29.98%. This is nearly 5% lower than the first-day voter turnout of last year’s convention, which was the highest ever. However, while mobile voting took place on Saturday and Sunday at last year’s convention, this time it will take place on Friday and Saturday, so there is room for the voter turnout to increase on the second day.

Each camp had different interpretations of the voter turnout. One camp, which set a goal of a final voter turnout of 65%, said, “There are also weekday issues, and the gap between the top candidate and other candidates is so big that it seems like the voter turnout was low because of the ‘Ah-dae-han (Han Dong-hoon will be the party leader anyway)’ atmosphere,” and “There is no problem with the first-round majority trend.” One camp believes that if the voter turnout is high, it will be able to further secure the ‘legitimacy of the party leader.’

On the other hand, a source from Won’s camp said, “It seems like the voter turnout has decreased as more party members have withheld their votes due to candidate Han’s controversial remarks,” and “It seems like the possibility of going to a runoff has increased.” Na’s camp also claimed, “This is an unfavorable indicator for candidate Han. The picture is going to a runoff.” A source from Na’s camp said, “Traditionally, party members in Yeongnam are a fixed voting base that votes for the party no matter what. If the voter turnout has decreased compared to before, it is possible that those who support candidate Han or those in the metropolitan area have given up voting.” There are predictions that the weekend vote on the 20th will be a significant watershed in voter turnout.

● Han “A personal request” vs. Roh “A blatant lie”

On this day, the last televised debate of the convention, there was a strong clash between the candidates over the controversy surrounding the revelation of the cancellation of the indictment. One candidate apologized for the revelation the day before (the 18th), but did not back down from his claim that it was “a personal request (to me).”

One candidate said, “As a politician, I can demand the cancellation of the indictment as a party. However, I demanded it as an individual.” In response, Na raised his voice, saying, “Did you ask me to exclude only mine? How can you insult me ​​like this?” Regarding the previous day’s mention of the president by one candidate, Na said, “Every time you ask a question, the president is dragged in. As a party leader, you should take the blame for the president and give credit to the president. His mouth is a time bomb.” Na is known to have shed tears after the debate. He immediately stated his position, saying, “This is a very malicious and blatant lie.”

Candidate Won also went on the offensive, saying, “Han Dong-hoon’s mouth risk is the biggest new danger to the party,” and “Will we be able to have important conversations with comrades?” Candidate Yoon Sang-hyun also chimed in, saying, “I also played a key role during the Park Geun-hye administration, but I always kept the security and tried to keep my loyalty until the end.”

One candidate said, “If the Minister of Justice is misunderstood as acting for a specific partisan reason, the foundation of fairness will collapse,” and “The people chose us because they were tired of the behavior of former Ministers Choo Mi-ae and Park Beom-gye.” He then directed his remarks at Won, saying, “Can you believe that someone who said that we should oust both Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak would not do it a third time?” and “If the situation changes, can’t we also demand that President Yoon leave the party?”


Reporter Kim Jun-il [email protected]
Reporter Lee Sang-heon [email protected]

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2024-07-20 14:25:01

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