By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff reporter
Rep. Chung Mong-joon, former chairman of the governing Grand National Party (GNP), pledged Monday not to run in the party's leadership race to be held on July 14.
On the other hand, Rep. Ahn Sang-soo, who served as the GNP floor leader when Chung led the party, declared his bid to run in the competition, calling for strong leadership at what he called a time of crisis.
The two lawmakers have made opposite choices as both were considered to be responsible for the party's defeat in the June 2 local elections.
The former chairman decided not to enter the leadership race to take responsibility; but not Ahn.
During a press conference, he said the party was faced with the most formidable crisis ever in the wake of the election results.
"Now is the time for the GNP to have strong leadership," Ahn said.
The lawmaker called for a three-point slogan of change, unity and the creation of a world-class nation as his vision.
On the same day, however, Chung made it clear that he would not join the leadership race.
"The GNP failed to achieve its goals in the elections. Therefore I think I must take responsibility," he said.
The new GNP chairman will oversee the selections of candidates to run in the National Assembly elections to be held in 2012. The leader will also be responsible for the management of the GNP primary to select a candidate to run in the presidential election the same year.
For these reasons, Chung, who made his ambition to run in the presidential race public on several occasions, has had a lot of challenges.
The ruling party was defeated in the elections where approximately 4,000 representatives of the local governments were picked.
The GNP won five mayoral and gubernatorial posts, whereas the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) won seven.
The GNP lost the gubernatorial races in its home turf of South Gyeongsang and Gangwon provinces where no liberal candidates had won a gubernatorial race before.
After the election defeat Chung resigned, taking responsibility for the results.
Ahn stepped down in May about a month before the election as his one-year term as a floor leader ended.
Although the former floor leader left the key post one month earlier than the elections, some political analysts alleged that as the No.2 in the party, Ahn was also responsible.