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| Ahn Cheol-soo, the former presidential candidate of the minor opposition People's Party, poses after winning the party's leadership race at the National Assembly, Sunday. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |
By Kim Hyo-jin
Ahn Cheol-soo, the former presidential candidate of the minor opposition People's Party, was elected as the party's next head Sunday.
He obtained the party leadership only 110 days after losing the presidential election, drawing criticism from some party members who say his return is too soon.
Ahn garnered 51.09 percent of the votes from party members while his competitors trailed by a large margin, the party said during its national convention held at the National Assembly.
Former Unification Minister Chung Dong-young followed Ahn with 28.36 percent of the votes; the party's former co-head Chung Jung-bae came in third with 16.6 percent; former Supreme Council member Lee Un-ju garnered 3.95 percent.
It was a combined result of online and telephone voting conducted between Aug. 23 and 26 in which 24.26 percent of about 234,000 party members participated.
"You gave me a second chance. I will never let you down," Ahn said during an acceptance speech after his victory. "I will strengthen the presence of the party with a clear centrist vision and agenda."
The leader is expected to channel all his efforts into the local elections slated for June next year. He said he will prioritize recruiting talented figures and increase communication channels within the party to better prepare for the upcoming elections.
"I'm shaking with excitement as I'm determined to regain public support and win a victory in the local elections," he said. "We need to protect the multiparty system so we don't let two big parties abuse their power."
Ahn also pledged to revise the Constitution to reform the electoral system in a way to back the stable multiparty system.
Ahn joined the race in early August, saying he would do his utmost to salvage the party amid dismal public support. His return caused a strong backlash from some party members who blame him for the defeat in the presidential election and tarnishing the party's reputation.
In late June, a scandal erupted that a party member fabricated a tipoff smearing then-rival Moon Jae-in's son. The prosecution began an investigation at the request of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, but later concluded People's Party leaders including Ahn were not involved in falsifying the information.
The party has still struggled with its low single-digit support rate following the fake news scandal.
Ahn will lead the party for the next 18 months, a term set by the party's new regulations.
The party changed its regulations last month to give more power to its leader with an aim to streamline the decision-making process so the party can push for internal reforms more easily, as part of efforts to regain momentum for the scandal-hit party.
Ahn can designate the party's chief policymaker, and when making the party's position he does not need to put it to a vote within the Supreme Council but just seek cooperation from the decision-making body.
At the party convention, Chang Jin-young, Park Joo-won, Lee Tae-woo and Rep. Park Joo-hyun were elected as Supreme Council members.
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