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| In the left photo, Rep. Yoo Seong-min who is running for re-election in Daegu Dong B as an independent candidate greets a voter, Friday. Lee Jae-man of the ruling Saenuri Party, who sought to compete with Yoo in the district, is seen discouraged in front of the office of party Chairman Kim Moo-sung in the right photo after the party decided not to give him a ticket. / Yonhap |
Yoo Seong-min will have no competitor from ruling party
By Yi Whan-woo
The ruling Saenuri Party agreed Friday not to field candidates in three contentious districts, including Daegu Dong B where its former member Rep. Yoo Seong-min is running as an independent candidate.
The other two districts are Seoul Songpa B, and Seoul Eunpyeong B where Rep. Lee Jae-oh, also a former Saenuri Party member, is seeking also re-election as an independent.
Both Yoo and Lee quit the ruling party, Wednesday, after being excluded from nominations controlled by loyalists to President Park Geun-hye.
They are highly likely to be elected in their respective districts in the April 13 polls.
The agreement came at a last-minute Supreme Council meeting between party Chairman Rep. Kim Moo-sung and senior pro-Park members before the 6 p.m. deadline for candidate registration with the National Election Commission (NEC).
Both sides have been in a bitter power struggle over nominations for the elections.
Under the deal, three candidates — Chong Jong-sup, Choo Kyung-ho and Lee In-sun who are all Park loyalists — won party tickets to run in districts in Daegu.
Chong, former home affairs minister, will compete in Daegu Dong A.
Choo, former minister of government policy coordination, will run in Dalsong County; while Lee In-sun, former vice-governor of North Gyeongsang Province, will make her election bid in Suseong B.
The party, however, dropped nominations for three other party members — Lee Jae-man, Yu Jae-gil and Yoo Yeong-ha.
Lee Jae-man sought for a challenge against Yoo Seong-min in Daegu Dong B; while Yu wanted to run against Lee Jae-oh in Seoul Eunpyeong B. Yoo Yeong-ha wanted to compete in Seoul Songpa B.
Lee Jae-man and Yu protested against Supreme Council decision.
"It was something that I could hardly accept," Lee Jae-man said.
Yu said, "I'm willing take all measures possible against the party, including a law suit."
Despite the agreement on nominations, the ruling party still faces the risk of a prolonged power struggle between Park loyalists and Kim on the road to the general election.
They confronted each other over confirming the nomination of the six candidates, all of them Park supporters.
Under such a climate, speculation is rampant that the internal rift may continue to deepen until April 13; and the party may then be on the verge of breaking up depending on the election results.
The party was thrown into chaos as Yoo, who was estranged from the President, quit the party after the nomination committee postponed his candidacy in a bid to force him out.
Other lawmakers excluded from the nominations, including Rep. Lee Jae-oh in Seoul's Eunpyeong B, followed suit.
In protest, Kim refused to approve all pending nominations in six constituencies, Thursday, saying they will be left without candidates.
Without his approval, the candidates are blocked from filing their bids with the NEC and running in the election.
Kim returned to Seoul, Friday, after leaving for Busan a day earlier and causing a delay in the nomination process.
Meanwhile, Rep. Lee Koon-hyon, the Saenuri Party's candidate for Tongyeong-Goseong in South Gyeongsang Province, won a fourth consecutive term without an election because no other candidates registered for the district.
