Two minor parties declare merger

Bareun Party Chairman Yoo Seong-min, left, and People’s Party Chairman Ahn Cheol-soo leave the press room at the National Assembly after announcing the two parties’ merger plan, Thursday. / Yonhap

By Choi Ha-young

People’s Party Chairman Ahn Cheol-soo and his Bareun Party counterpart Yoo Seong-min declared the merger of their two parties in a joint press conference, Thursday.

Their hasty announcement of the merger, which came even before each party undergoes due process to officially confirm the union, shows the two leaders are attempting to consolidate their plan amid opposition from some party members.

Ahn has faced criticism from an anti-merger faction within the People’s Party. The announcement is likely to spur the faction to separate from the minor liberal party, which will obviously undermine the influence of the unified party. The People’s Party is scheduled to hold a national convention Feb. 4, where members will “officially” decide whether to merge with the Bareun Party.

Yoo’s leadership has also been questioned after party lawmakers have been gradually defecting to the larger conservative Liberty Korea Party (LKP). Now, the Bareun Party has only nine National Assembly seats.

Right after the press conference, Rep. Choi Gyung-hwan of the People’s Party, a vocal critic of Ahn, held a separate one to say the anti-merger faction will launch a preparatory committee for the formation of a new party, Jan. 28.

“Now, we no longer have any confidence in Ahn, considering his continuous dismissal of the party’s due processes,” said Choi, who leads the anti-merger lawmakers who are mainly based in the pro-liberal Jeolla provinces. “The statement by Ahn and Yoo was no more than a declaration to create collusion with conservatives.”

The conflict between the rival factions is likely to explode at the People’s Party national convention, where the merger will be put to a vote. Choi said the anti-merger members will participate in this to voice their opposition.

Powerful third party?

In the joint statement, Yoo and Ahn said the merged party would seek to attract centrist voters, and attacked the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) as well as the largest opposition LKP.

“Our two parties will make joint efforts to create a new party for a better world and hopeful future,” their statement read. “We declare war against outdated and corrupt old politics. We’ll break conventions and become a new force to change politics.”

“The nation’s politics have been monopolized by outdated conservatives and irresponsible liberals,” Yoo said. “To meet the national interest, we will sometimes cooperate with the liberal government, but also hold it in check. We’ll put forward constructive opinions on pressing issues.”

Yoo, the iconic conservative politician, stressed a hawkish stance on national security, while Ahn criticized the government’s “flip-flopping” on the economy, welfare and education.

The merged party will not be tied to a certain ideology or regional base, they said. “We vow to overcome regionalism and help build a harmonious country,” Ahn said.

If the merged party successfully appeals to centrist voters and finds a sustainable support base, it could become a strong third option by breaking the dominance of the larger DPK and LKP. However, it is questionable whether lawmakers of the new party will be able to reach a consensus on divisive issues.

Regarding former President Lee Myung-bak’s claim that the ongoing probe into his alleged corruption is political retaliation, the People’s Party has called for a “thorough investigation” into any of his past wrongdoings; while the Bareun Party, which has some pro-Lee politicians, said the liberal Moon Jae-in administration should make sure the probe was not political revenge against the ex-president.

The shrinking number of its parliamentary seats also overshadows the new party’s fate. Around 20 out of 39 People’s Party lawmakers are against the merger and are moving to build their own party to protest Ahn’s “dictatorship.” The merged party will have less than 30 seats ― fewer than the existing 39 seats of the People’s Party.

“I believe more citizens will rally around the new party. Better public opinion about the party is more meaningful than the number of seats,” Ahn said.