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Wed, May 31, 2023 | 02:41
-------------------------
Saenuri's defeat brews political upheaval
민심 떠난 새누리, 1당마저 내줬다…선거혁명에 '난파'
Posted : 2016-04-14 18:06
Updated : 2016-04-15 10:13
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Saenuri Party Chairman Kim Moo-sung bows after announcing his resignation as party chief during a press conference at the National Assembly, Thursday. Kim said he will step down to take responsibility for the party's stunning defeat in Wednesday's general election. / Yonhap
Saenuri Party Chairman Kim Moo-sung bows after announcing his resignation as party chief during a press conference at the National Assembly, Thursday. Kim said he will step down to take responsibility for the party's stunning defeat in Wednesday's general election. / Yonhap

Rep. Won Yoo-chul tapped as interim leader


By Kim Hyo-jin

Saenuri Party Chairman Kim Moo-sung bows after announcing his resignation as party chief during a press conference at the National Assembly, Thursday. Kim said he will step down to take responsibility for the party's stunning defeat in Wednesday's general election. / Yonhap
The ruling Saenuri Party's unexpected losses in Wednesday's general election are likely to reshape the political landscape.

The emergence of a powerful third party led by Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, and the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea's (MPK) results in the election will provide new challenges to President Park Geun-hye as well as the ruling party.

The Saenuri Party's losses have made it the second-largest party with 122 seats after the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) clinched 123 seats in the 300-member legislature. Including the 38 seats secured by the minor opposition People's Party, members of the opposition bloc now outnumber the governing party for the first time in 16 years when it occurred during the Roh Moo-hyun administration in 2004.

Following the surprise setback, party Chairman Kim Moo-sung stepped down and some Supreme Council members followed suit. Rep. Won Yoo-chul will lead the party as an interim leader until June when the Saenuri Party will select its new chairman and Supreme Council members.

The Saenuri Party's defeat in the elections is poised to deal a blow to the Park administration's agenda including proposed labor reform, deregulation in the economic sector and passage of a counter cyber terrorism bill. Park is likely to perform a cabinet reshuffle. Hyun Ki-hwan, the senior presidential secretary for political affairs, is at risk of being replaced, say observers.

Lawmakers close to Park are expected to lose ground, according to analysts. The infighting over nominations led by Park loyalists is now being cited as a major cause of lost votes even in its traditional strongholds.

Analysts said the party now has a tough path in the run-up to the 2107 presidential election with faltering support and a lack of options for potential candidates.

"I'm stepping down from the leadership post as of today to take responsibility of the crushing defeat in the election," Saenuri Party Chairman Kim Moo-sung said at a party meeting, Thursday.

"We let down the citizens while being fragmented and showing shameful practices in the process of nominations...The outcome tells us that we were idle in serving the people."

Despite Kim's resignation, a factional feud is still simmering over who else should be held accountable for the humiliating result.

Lee Hye-hoon, a lawmaker-elect, criticized the pro-Park faction in a radio interview, saying, "They were the mainstream who wielded power in party affairs, especially in unfair nominations that aimed to exclude certain figures. The citizens sent a warning signal on such practices but they ignored it."

Lee Jung-hyun, another successful candidate and a Park loyalist, struck back at Lee later, saying, "this is not the time to play the blame game, but the time to get together to understand why we failed to attract voters."

Some, however, regard the simmering factional conflict as a problem to be contained because party reform is now the dominant issue before the presidential election.

"The party needs to change its leadership structure and renew its image; factions could be brought together under this urgent mission," said Kim Sung-joo, a professor at Sung Kyun Kwan University.

"Major change awaits the party. The power structure will be re-made depending on who is put forward as a presidential candidate. But for now there seems no card on the Saenuri Party's side except U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon."

The Saenuri Party won only 35 seats in the capital area where 122 seats were up for grabs. On its home turf Daegu, Busan and Gyeongsang Provinces, it handed over 17 seats to opposition and independent candidates.

Potential presidential candidates — Oh Se-hoon, former Seoul mayor, and ex-Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Moon-soo, — were routed by the MPK's Chung Sye-kyun and Kim Boo-kyum, respectively.

"The nomination row was just a trigger effect. It was a judgment on the Park government that failed to resolve economic issues like the high unemployment rate and widened income gap," said Kim Hyung-joon, a political science professor at Myongji University.

"Unless Park and the ruling party change their high-handed and unilateral way of handling state affairs, the prospect is slim that it could retain the presidency."


민심 떠난 새누리, 1당마저 내줬다…선거혁명에 '난파'

새 122석, 민 123석, 국 38석, 정 6석, 무 11석
더민주, 수도권 압승·호남 완패…정당득표 국민의당에 추월당해
국민의당, 호남 '석권'…3당구도 '캐스팅보트' 확보
의회권력 지각 변동…박근혜정부 국정운영 타격 불가피

민심이 새누리당에 준엄한 심판을 내렸다.

제20대 총선에서 집권여당인 새누리당이 충격의 참패를 당하며 원내 제1당의 자리마저 더불어민주당에 내줬다.

최대 접전지인 수도권에서 전체 의석(122석)의 3분의 1도 확보하지 못했고, '전통적 텃밭'인 영남권에서도 총 65곳 가운데 무려 17곳에서 야당과 무소속 후보에게 밀렸다.

반면 더불어민주당은 수도권에서 예상 밖으로 압승한 데 힘입어 당초 목표의석을 훨씬 상회하는 이변을 일으키며 관례상 국회의장을 배출할 수 있는 최다 의석 정당이 됐다.

국민의당은 호남에서 압승을 거두는 '녹색돌풍'을 일으키며 교섭단체 구성을 훨씬 넘는 38석을 확보했으며, 특히 정당 득표율에서는 더민주를 제치고 2위를 기록하는 파란을 연출했다.

14일 중앙선거관리위원회 최종 집계에 따르면 총 253곳의 지역구 가운데 더민주 후보가 110곳, 새누리당 후보가 105곳, 국민의당 후보가 25곳, 정의당 후보가 2곳, 무소속 후보가 11곳에서 각각 당선됐다.

정당 투표에서는 새누리당 33.5%, 더민주 25.5%, 국민의당 16.7%, 정의당 7.2% 등의 투표율을 기록하면서 이들 정당이 각각 17석, 13석, 13석, 4석의 비례대표 의석을 챙겼다.

이에 따라 지역구와 비례대표를 합칠 경우 ▲더민주 123석 ▲새누리당 122석 ▲국민의당 38석 ▲정의당 6석 ▲무소속 11석 등으로 집계됐다.

이에 따라 무소속을 제외한 야(野) 3당만 합치더라도 무려 167석에 달하면서 16년만에 '여소야대(與小野大) 국회'가 재연됐다. 지난 2000년 실시된 16대 총선에서도 당시 집권여당이었던 새천년민주당(115석)이 한나라당(133석)에 패해 2당에 머문 바 있다.

한때 국회선진화법(현행 국회법)을 무력화할 수 있는 180석을 목표로 삼았던 새누리당은 과반 확보는 고사하고 '최악의 시나리오'인 145석에도 턱없이 모자라는 성적표를 받아들었다.

특히 사실상 '여당 불패신화'를 이어가던 서울 강남3구에서 강남을과 송파을을 더민주에 내줬으며, 수도권 전체로도 '탄핵 역풍'을 맞았던 지난 2004년 17대 총선 때보다 더 나쁜 성적을 기록했다.

더욱이 원내 제1당의 자리를 더민주에 내주며 국회 주도권을 상실하게 됐으며, 경제활성화 및 노동개혁 입법 등 향후 박근혜 정부의 국정운영에도 상당한 차질이 불가피하게 됐다.

이대로라면 유승민(대구 동구을), 주호영(대구 수성구을), 강길부(울산 울주), 안상수(인천 중구·동구·강화·옹진), 윤상현(인천 남구을) 당선인 등 새누리당 탈당 의원 가운데 2명 이상 복당해야 원내 다수당의 지위를 되찾을 수 있어 '복당 불가론'을 주장했던 친박계의 고민도 깊어질 전망이다.

아울러 당내 계파 갈등으로 최악의 공천 파동을 겪은 뒤 최악의 참패를 당하면서 김무성 대표를 비롯한 지도부 책임론과 함께 공천 실패에 대한 내부 비판과 갈등이 증폭될 것으로 보인다.

실제로 이날 오전 국회에서 열린 중앙선거대책위 해단식에서는 김무성 대표와 김태호 최고위원, 황진하 사무총장까지 지도부가 줄줄이 사퇴 의사를 밝히며 사실상 지도부가 와해됐다.

김 대표는 '국민께서 매서운 회초리로 심판해 주셨고, 저희는 참패했다'면서 '뼈를 깎는 노력을 통해 다시는 국민을 실망하게 하지 말라는 지엄한 명령으로 받아들이겠다'고 말했다.

반면 더민주의 경우 수도권 압승을 토대로 독자적인 개헌 저지선(100석)은 물론 당초 목표로 삼았던 102~107석을 훌쩍 넘기면서 '김종인 비대위 체제'가 성공을 거뒀다는 평가가 나온다.

특히 '난공불락'으로 여겨졌던 영남에서만 9석을 차지하고 서울 강남권에서도 선전하는 등 지지기반을 대폭 확대하는 소득을 거뒀다. 더민주가 의원을 배출하지 못한 광역지자체는 경북과 광주, 울산 등 3곳밖에 없다.

다만 호남에서 국민의당에 참패하고 비례대표 정당 득표율에서도 국민의당에 추월당해 향후 야권 역학 관계에서 불리한 입지에 처하게 됐다.

김종인 비상대책위 대표는 이날 국회 기자회견에서 '이번 총선에서 국민은 박근혜 정부와 새누리당의 경제실패 책임을 준엄하게 심판했다'면서도 '더민주의 잘못에 회초리를 들어주신 호남의 민심을 잘 받아안겠다'고 말했다.

국민의당은 호남 석권을 통한 '야권 적통' 계승과 정당 지지도 급상승 등을 통해 38석을 확보함으로써 3당 구도의 국회에서 확실한 '캐스팅 보트'를 쥐게 됐다. 총선에서 제3당이 원내교섭단체 구성에 성공한 것은 지난 15대 총선 때 자유민주연합이 마지막이었다.

다만 권역별로 호남을 제외하고는 서울 노원병(안철수), 관악갑(김성식)에서만 당선자를 배출한 것은 한계로 지적됐다.

안철수 공동대표는 이날 마포 당사에서 열린 선대위 회의에서 '이번 선거는 정치인들의 승리가 아니라 위대한 국민들의 승리'라면서 20대 국회를 제대로 일하는 국회로 만들라는 국민의 명령을 꼭 실천하겠다'고 밝혔다.

이번 총선에서는 여야의 전통적인 텃밭이 무너지면서 지역구도가 상당부분 깨진 것으로 나타났다.

새누리당은 전남 순천의 이정현, 전북 전주을의 정운천 후보가 예상을 뒤엎고 당선됐으며, 더민주는 대구 수성갑의 김부겸 후보를 비롯해 부산에서 5명, 경남에서 3명 등 영남권에서 9명의 당선인을 배출했다.

한편, 중앙선관위 최종 집계 결과 이번 총선에서는 전체 유권자 4천210만398명 가운데 2천443만746명이 투표에 참여, 58.0%의 투표율을 기록했다. 이는 사전투표가 도입되지 않았던 지난 19대 총선 투표율(54.2%)보다 3.8% 포인트 낮은 것이다.

지역별로는 전남과 전북이 각각 63.7%, 62.9%로 1,2위를 기록한 반면 대구가 54.8%로 가장 낮았고 부산이 55.4%로 그 뒤를 잇는 등 '서고동저(西高東低)' 현상이 두드러졌다. (연합뉴스)
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