By Chung Min-uck
Leaders of three minor liberal parties Monday announced the creation of a new liberal party named “Unified Progressive Party” with the goal of increasing their clout ahead of the general elections next April.
The merged parties are the Democratic Labor Party (DLP), People's Participatory Party (PPP) and a novice party made up of defectors from the Progressive New Party (PNP). The DLP, established in 2000, had been a symbolic force on behalf of the nation’s radical left-wingers.
“We will answer to the people’s request for new politics through the establishment of the Unified Progressive Party,”said Rep. Lee Jung-hee of the DLP in a joint conference.
“The saying that liberals failed due to division will prove to be wrong starting today.”
“The integration is a self-reformation of liberal powers,” said Rhyu Si-min of the PPP.
“Self-examination and reformation will go on until the liberal party seizes power,”said Shim Sang-jeong.
The new liberal party will be jointly led by Rep. Lee, Rhyu and Shim.
Talks on the integration was initiated by the DLP earlier this year after it faced a split of popular figures such as Roh Hoi-chan, and won only five seats in the following general elections in 2008.
The plan for integration was fraught with difficulty as some members of the PNP refused to take part.
The new liberal party, which now holds seven seats, hopes to increase its number to at least 20 seats in the 299-member unicameral parliament in the general elections next year. Twenty seats is a requirement for a single party to be named a negotiating body in the parliament.
The Unified Progressive Party is to hold a convention in January to set its party platform and nomination rules before the elections.
Observers say now that the minor progressive parties are unified, it is to be seen whether it can eventually form a united front with another liberal integration movement taking place led by the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), close confidants of late former President Roh Moo-hyun and civic groups.
They say that it is essential for the liberal bloc to come up with single candidates in general elections to prevent a vote split.
The Unified Liberal Party seeks to form an alliance with the bigger liberal parties while other liberal entities want the new party to participate in the upcoming party which is getting ready to kick off before the end of this year.