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Mon, August 15, 2022 | 06:24
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NPAD split over candidate choices
野, '安心 실린 개혁공천' 파열음
Posted : 2014-04-14 17:41
Updated : 2014-04-16 14:59
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Members of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) and civic groups attend a news conference at Gwangju City Council, Monday. They called for the resignations of five NPAD lawmakers who declared support for Yoon Jang-hyun as a candidate for Gwangju mayor. As Yoon was from Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo's camp, their support of Yoon led to conflict in the opposition coalition between Ahn's supporters and members of the now-defunct Democratic Party. / Yonhap
Members of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) and civic groups attend a news conference at Gwangju City Council, Monday. They called for the resignations of five NPAD lawmakers who declared support for Yoon Jang-hyun as a candidate for Gwangju mayor. As Yoon was from Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo's camp, their support of Yoon led to conflict in the opposition coalition between Ahn's supporters and members of the now-defunct Democratic Party. / Yonhap

By Jun Ji-hye


Internal conflict is brewing in the New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) between those from the now-defunct Democratic Party (DP) and supporters of Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo over which candidates should stand in the June 4 local elections.

The seeds of discontent between the two factions were sown when the two camps came together to form the NPAD early last month, with Ahn and Rep. Kim Han-gil, the former chairman of the DP, co-chairing the coalition.

Controversy arose after five lawmakers whose constituencies are in Gwangju declared on Sunday that they will support Yoon Jang-hyun, an NPAD hopeful running in the Gwangju mayoral election.

Yoon was from Ahn's camp ― he served as co-chairman on Ahn's preparatory committee then tasked with launching a new political party.

At a news conference, Reps. Kang Gi-jung, Kim Dong-cheol, Chang Byoung-wan, Park Hae-ja and Lim Nae-hyun said that they decided to back Yoon as the NPAD candidate for mayor.

Rep. Lee Yong-sup, who was a DP member, is also seeking to win a party ticket in the primary.

Lee immediately protested their announcement, saying: "This is unfair political collusion. Party leaders should clearly tell whether they had prior consultation with the five, as such a decision amounts to robbing citizens of the right to choose."

He added that if the party pushes to nominate Yoon as a candidate without conducting a fair primary, he could quit the party.

Rep. Park Joo-sun, a former independent lawmaker who recently joined the main opposition party, criticized the five for making an "unwise" announcement.

He said that inclusion of Park Hae-ja, a member of the party's Supreme Council, intensified suspicions that their announcement could have been made on instructions from the party leaders.

"If leaders including Ahn Cheol-soo and Kim Han-gil do not make it clear that they will not influence the primary, Rep. Lee and sitting Mayor Kang Un-tae could boycott the primary," he said. "Lawmakers can personally express their will to support a certain candidate, but it is improper to do that openly."

He added that the NPAD should remember that Gwangju is the place from where the nation's pro-democracy movement first emerged, and people there mostly support the DP.

Party leaders attempted to keep the dispute from exacerbating further.

Senior adviser Sohn Hak-kyu, co-chairman of the leading opposition party's campaign camp, said such an inappropriate declaration of support was ill-matched with the party's attempts to push for an innovative nomination process.

However, similar conflict is looming large among hopefuls for the Gyeonggi Province gubernatorial election where Kim Sang-gon, former superintendent of Gyeonggi Province Office of Education who is regarded as Ahn's aide, is confronting Reps. Kim Jin-pyo and Won Hye-young, former DP members, to be selected as a final candidate.

Kim Jin-pyo initially boycotted the primary, expressing his anger over the party's way of conducting it, which he believed worked favorably for Kim Sang-gon.

He returned to the race on Sunday, after the NPAD selected an alternative in which it will reflect 50 percent of a party poll and 50 percent of a public opinion poll.

Kim Sang-gon said he will accept his rule, although he also has some complaints.

Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye



野, '安心 실린 개혁공천' 파열음

갈길 바쁜데 자중지란 양상…'安, 자기사람 심기 소지'

    새정치민주연합이 6·4 지방선거를 앞두고 기초선거 무(無)공천 논란의 긴 터널을 빠져나오자마자 이른바 '개혁공천'을 둘러싼 당내 파열음이라는 장애물과 맞닥뜨렸다.

    당 지도부가 당론 번복의 후폭풍 수습과 선거필승 카드라는 이중포석으로 개혁공천의 칼을 뽑아들었지만, 때아닌 '안심(安心·안철수 공동대표의 의중) 논란'에 휘말려 자중지란 양상이 빚어지고 있다.

    윤장현 광주시장 예비후보에 대한 광주지역 국회의원들의 지지선언으로 당이 발칵 뒤집힌 데 더해 지도부가 중앙당에 기초단체장 자격심사위를 설치, 현역 물갈이에 직접 팔을 걷어붙인 것이 원인이 됐다.

    지도부는 14일 자격심사위 회의에서 확정한 개혁공천안을 통해 현역 의원의 '기초공천 불개입' 원칙을 밝히고 이날부터 16일까지 기초단체장 후보 공모를 받기로 했지만, 내부 반발은 가라앉지 않고 있다.

    ◇ '윤장현 지지선언' 후폭풍 일파만파 = 윤 후보가 안 대표 측 인사라는 점 때문에 광주 의원들의 지지선언이 지도부와의 교감 속에서 전략공천까지 염두에 두고 이뤄진 게 아니냐는 의혹이 강하게 일고 있다. 특히 야권의 심장부라는 상징성 때문에 충격파가 더 크다.

    당장 이용섭 후보는 이날 상경해 김한길 안철수 공동대표와 만나 광주시장 경선에 관한 지도부의 입장을 따져 물었다.

    이 후보는 면담 후 기자들과 만나 '이제 시민에게 선택권을 넘겨야 한다는 입장을 전달했다'면서 '전략공천은 시민 선택권을 뺏는 것이기 때문에 절대 수용할 수 없다'고 못박았다. 앞서 이 후보는 CBS 라디오 인터뷰에서 '탈당을 포함, 모든 것을 검토하겠다'고 반발했다.

    역풍에 거세게 이는 가운데 전날 지지선언에 참여한 김동철 의원은 CBS 라디오에 출연, 지도부와의 교감설을 부인하면서도 '우리 뜻을 전달한 것은 근 20일 정도 됐다'고 밝혔다.

    ◇ 중앙당 자격심사 방침에 시도당 '부글' = 광주시장 경선 논란에 이어 중앙당이 직접 기초단체장 '솎아내기'에 나선 것도 각 시·도당 반발을 확산시키고 있다.

    구 민주당 출신들은 지도부가 개혁공천이라는 미명으로 전략공천을 대폭 확대, 안 대표 측 인사들을 대거 배치하려는 의도가 아니냐는 의구심을 보이고 있다. 현역 기초단체장에 친노(친노무현) 인사들이 상당수 포진해 있어 자칫 계파간 충돌로 비화할 수 있는 대목이다.

    민주당 출신 오영식 서울시당 공동위원장은 연합뉴스와의 통화에서 '중앙당이 기초단체장 자격심사에 직접 개입하는 것은 전례없는 일로 납득하기 어렵다'며 '개혁공천을 내세워 세력간 담합을 통한 자기 사람 심기로 비쳐질 소지가 있다'고 비판했다.

    특히 '현역 물갈이'의 집중 타깃으로 거론되는 호남 쪽 반감이 크다. 박지원 전 원내대표는 트위터에서 '호남이 새정치민주연합의 '봉'은 아니다'고 했고, 이 지역의 한 의원도 '개혁공천이란 빌미로 결국 지분나누기에 들어가는 것'이라며 불쾌감을 보였다.

    이에 민주당 출신 시·도당 위원장들은 15일 모임을 갖고 공천 논란에 관한 대책을 논의할 것으로 알려졌다.

    반면 안 대표 측 이계안 서울시당 공동위원장은 평화방송 인터뷰에서 '물갈이 폭이 20% 이상 될 수도 있다'며 '어떤 경우에도 '도로 민주당'이란 비난에서 자유로워져야 한다'고 강조했다.

    천정배 자격심사위원장도 '일부 후보자들에게는 좁은 문이 되겠지만 국민과 당에는 개혁정치로 가는 크고 넓은 문이 되리라고 확신한다'고 말했다.
Emailjjh@koreatimes.co.kr Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
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