Parliamentary by-elections take place today in 8 districts

By Lee Tae-hoon

Staff reporter

Eight parliamentary seats are up for grabs in the by-elections today with observers paying close attention to the electoral district of Eunpyeong in northern Seoul.

In the Eunpyeong electoral district, the governing party candidate, Lee Jae-oh is a former three-term lawmaker with the Grand National Party (GNP) and the right-hand man of President Lee.

He faces off against Chang Sang, former president of Ewha Womans University in Seoul, and a joint opposition candidate fielded by three opposition parties.

She initially made her bid on the main opposition, the Democratic Party (DP)’s ticket, but later opposition parties grouped to field a single candidate against a strong governing party candidate.

Voters will head to polls today in seven other districts in Incheon, Gwangju, and Gangwon and Chungcheong provinces. The 13-day official campaign period ended at midnight Tuesday.

Political observers say the results of the by-elections will not affect the big political picture as the GNP is expected to keep the majority of seats at the 299-member legislature.

The conservative party holds 175 seats, while the DP has 84. Observers forecast it will be an uphill battle for the governing party as most of the districts are known to be the home turf of opposition parties.

They point out that the outcome may influence the extent of a reshuffle of Cabinet ministers, which is expected to take place after the polls.

Low turnout is expected as the elections take place during the vacation season.

If the DP wins, Chung Sye-kyun, the current chairman of the liberal party, will be able to cement his leadership within the party ahead of the 2012 National Assembly and presidential elections, political pundits say.

The outcome of the elections, especially in Eunpyeong, will also be a test for the new GNP leadership that took office after the party’s defeat in the June 2 local elections.

The GNP was defeated in seven of the districts in both the 2008 National Assembly elections and the June 2 elections this year. It only held Wonju in Gangwon Province.