Ahn stumbling on internal feud

Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, right, co-chairman of the People’s Party and Rep. Kim Han-gil, head of the party’s election planning committee, attend a party meeting in Seoul, Monday. Kim criticized Ahn for turning down an offer from the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea to form an alliance for the April 13 general election. / Yonhap

By Kim Hyo-jin

Support for Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, co-chairman of the minor opposition People’s Party, and his organization is rapidly eroding, with a general election scheduled for April 13. Moreover, Ahn appears to be losing control of the party after clashing with other leaders over a proposed alliance for the election.

The latest polls show the approval rating of the People’s Party is at its lowest level — just one month after it was launched.

Ahn was pushed back to a single-digit fourth place for the first time on the list of potential presidential candidates from among rival parties while former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon ranked third.

While the party leadership is fragmented over a proposal made by the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) interim leader Kim Jong-in to form an alliance for the upcoming election, Ahn appears to be further losing members of his support base, according to political observers.

During a survey conducted by the local pollster Realmeter during the first week of March on 2,017 respondents, 11.5 percent supported the People’s Party, down 0.6 percentage points from the previous week, widening the gap with the MPK that stood at 28 percent and the Saenuri Party at 43.7 percent.

The figure has taken a downturn since early February when the party was launched with an approval rating of 15 percent.

Of 11 potential presidential candidates from rival parties, Ahn ranked fourth with a 9.9 percent rating, following the MPK’s former leader Moon Jae-in (21.3 percent) and ruling Saenuri Party Chairman Kim Moo-sung (17.8 percent), and former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon (11.1 percent).

“While focusing on wooing more voters in Gwangju and the Jeolla provinces in a rivalry with the MPK, Ahn and his party fell short of gaining nationwide support,” said Yoon Hee-woong, a senior researcher at Opinion Live.

“Centrist voters that Ahn aimed to target also lost interest, while the MPK’s new leader Kim Jong-in actively removed the leftist image of the main opposition party.”

Internal feud simmering

Yoon said that conflicts in the leadership of the People’s Party over whether to accept Kim’s proposal to form an alliance for the upcoming general election added an additional negative factor to its falling approval rating.

“The party is not viewed as an independent third party as self-claimed, while being swayed by the MPK’s lead in preparation for the elections.”

Just one day after Ahn rejected Kim’s proposed alliance, Rep. Kim Han-gil, head of the party’s election campaign committee, voiced a different opinion, showing discord in party’s leadership.

“Our party should do whatever it takes to stop the ruling party winning enough parliamentary seats for a constitutional amendment,” Kim said during a party meeting, Monday.

Rep. Chun Jung-bae, the party’s co-chairman, took Kim’s side, saying, “we should do politics not just for ourselves but for the people.”

Ahn struck back, saying, “the decision not to join hands with the MPK was made after a general meeting and a Supreme Council meeting. It can’t be changed by the opinion of few members.”

Kim Jong-in, the MPK interim leader, asked Ahn last week to merge their parties to win against the ruling Saenuri Party in the April polls.