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| People's Party leader Ahn Cheol-soo, left, poses with former ruling Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Keum Tae-sup at a studio in Seoul, Feb. 25, ahead of a debate broadcasted on YouTube to select one of them as the candidate of a "third zone" for the Seoul mayoral by-election. Ahn became the most favored candidate through a public opinion poll, Monday, and he plans to talk with the main opposition People Power Party about fielding a single unified candidate representing the opposition bloc. Joint press corps |
By Kim Rahn
Minor opposition People's Party leader Ahn Cheol-soo has overcome the first challenge to becoming a single unified candidate representing the opposition bloc in the April 7 Seoul mayoral by-election, winning a public favorability poll against former ruling party lawmaker Keum Tae-sup.
Ahn's party and Keum's election camp announced, Monday, that Ahn gained larger support than Keum in a public opinion poll conducted from Saturday to Sunday. However, they did not disclose the support rates, according to the guideline from the National Election Commission.
While the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) have been dominating the nation's political circles, Ahn and Keum said they would represent a "third zone" and the winner in the public poll would compete with the PPP's candidate, with the final winner becoming a single unified candidate representing the opposition bloc. The PPP and the People's Party agree on the need for a single candidate representing the opposition side to win the by-election and "judge" the Moon Jae-in administration, but they differ on the selection process.
After the poll result was announced, Ahn said when the PPP selects its candidate, he will meet the person immediately to talk about narrowing down the field of candidates. The PPP is set to pick its candidate on Thursday.
"We have confirmed the people's desire to change the administration through public attention to the poll (between Keum and me)," Ahn wrote on Facebook. "Now what we need to do is to field a final, single candidate of the opposition bloc who can meet the public's wishes by winning the by-election."
Saying he will meet the PPP candidate immediately they are decided upon, Ahn wrote, "We must declare we are partners who compete against each other but also support each other. I hope we can soon reach an agreement on how to select the single candidate, an agreement that will satisfy the two parties, their supporters and the public."
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