By Chung Min-uck
The ruling Grand National Party (GNP) will consider abolishing its decision-making Supreme Council, including the position of party chairperson, according to a member of the party’s interim emergency leadership committee, Tuesday.
Lee Sang-don, who is in charge of political reform, unveiled measures to overhaul the GNP to woo support ahead of the April 11 general elections. They will be discussed further at emergency committee meeting tomorrow.
The contemplated reform measures also include removing the party secretariat.
“The recent vote-buying scandal occurred due to the current party system controlled by a party chairperson,” Lee said in a press conference at GNP headquarters in Seoul.
The move comes amid the reformists’ call for such changes.
Under the current system, party leaders are selected through a vote by party delegates, members and an opinion poll. Many candidates have reportedly been involved in vote-buying in previous leadership contests.
The party chairperson wields great influence as he or she has the right to nominate candidates in elections.
Some party members oppose the measures. They have been hesitant on the proposals, citing the lack of time for change. Currently, the GNP is pushing to implement new selection rules for the upcoming elections.
The party began working on a candidate selection system following the Lunar New Year holiday.
The April vote is crucial as the results will be considered a litmus test to gauge public opinion ahead of the presidential election in December. If the ruling party fails to win a majority of seats in the National Assembly, the credibility of Rep. Park Geun-hye, the party’s interim leader, as a presidential candidate will be hit hard.
The GNP, which has already set specific rules on nominations, is to form a candidate-screening committee next week. It will consist of experts from outside the party in order to ensure transparency, sources said.
All eyes are on who will head the committee. Earlier the GNP said that the leader will be a figure outside the GNP who has a good grasp of party affairs and its inner dynamics.
Names being mentioned are Yoon Yeo-joon, a former GNP lawmaker and minister for the environment; In Myung-jin, a pastor at the Galilee Church in Seoul and former chairman of the GNP’s ethics committee; and Ven. Pomryun, chairman of the Peace Foundation, a non-governmental organization, and a founder of the Jungto Community religious group.
Yoon and Pomryun are long-time mentors of entrepreneur-turned-professor Ahn Cheol-soo who helped organize “youth concerts” which have played a crucial role in wooing the younger generation.
The pastor recently alleged that there the GNP’s nomination of proportional candidates back in 2008 was corrupt. He worked with the party’s ethics committee back then.
Under the selection rules, the GNP will choose 80 percent of its candidates through an open competition and 20 percent through recruitment outside the party.
More than half of the GNP’s candidates to run on the proportional representation system will be chosen from people outside the party.
The main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) has also started talks on selection rules for the elections. Earlier this month, the party chose six Supreme Council members with former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook taking the helm.
The new leadership is already showing signs of using “innovative” rules, urging senior lawmakers to voluntary compete in constituencies where the opposition is strong. Following this call, presidential hopefuls such as Moon Jae-in and Rep. Chung Dong-young announced their candidacies in Busan and southern Seoul, respectively.
Both districts are considered GNP strongholds.
Rep. Chun Jung-bae, a four-term DUP lawmaker, also announced his candidacy in the Dongjak B district in Seoul, Tuesday, currently represented by heavyweight Rep. Chung Mong-joon of the GNP. Chung is the biggest shareholder of Hyundai Heavy Industries.
The DUP is planning to finalize the selection rules and establish a candidate-screening committee by the end of the month.
The major parties’ moves to overhaul the nomination of its candidates are expected to bring about a severe backlash from sitting lawmakers as the rules are largely focused on replacing incumbents.
The GNP has already decided to eliminate 25 percent of its current lawmakers based on two criteria: the preference of local residents and their competitiveness against rival candidates.