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| A voter casts a ballot at a polling station in Daegu's Dalseo District, Friday, the first day of two-day early voting for June 1 local elections. Yonhap |
Early voting opened Friday for next week's local elections and National Assembly by-elections that can significantly strengthen or undermine the mandate of the new government of President Yoon Suk-yeol less than a month after its launch.
Eligible voters can cast ballots at 3,551 polling stations nationwide from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Saturday, according to the National Election Commission (NEC). COVID-19 patients and those in quarantine will be able to vote from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. but only on Saturday.
Up for grabs are 17 metropolitan mayoral and provincial governor posts, heads of 226 lower-level councils, as well as 779 seats in provincial and metropolitan councils and 2,602 in lower-level local councils.
This year's elections have drawn greater attention as seven Assembly seats are also at stake, with political heavyweights, such as former presidential candidates Lee Jae-myung and Ahn Cheol-soo, throwing their hats into the ring.
Both the ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) have been calling on people to participate in early voting, claiming that high early voting turnout can ensure victory in the June 1 elections.
A survey by Gallup Korea showed 69.8 percent of the people answering they will definitely vote in the upcoming elections. Of them, 30.3 percent said they intend to cast ballots during early voting.
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| Former lawmaker Kim Eun-hye, left, the People Power Party's candidate for governor of Gyeonggi Province, casts her ballot together with her husband Yoo Hyung-dong, at a polling station in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Friday, the first day of two-day early voting for the June 1 local elections. Joint Press Corps |
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| Former Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon, right, the Democratic Party of Kore's candidate for the Gyeonggi Province governor, casts his ballot together with his wife Jeong Woo-young at a polling station in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Friday, the first day of two-day early voting for the June 1 local elections. Joint Press Corps |
Recent polls showed the PPP taking the lead in most big races, except those in the liberal Honam region, the home turf of the DPK. The PPP hopes it can extend the momentum of the presidential election victory and win more than half of the 17 gubernatorial and mayoral posts.
The conservative party believes Yoon's summit with U.S. President Joe Biden and recent North Korea provocations can be helpful for its campaign, especially among those seeking stabilized operation of the Yoon administration.
The DPK, which controls a majority in the National Assembly, is looking to recover from the March 9 presidential election defeat and expand its power across the nation to keep the Yoon government in check.
The liberal party, which scored a landslide victory in the 2018 local elections, has been promoting that most incumbent local government heads are from the party and that they should be allowed to continue their jobs.
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| People gather at a polling station at the Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Council, Friday, the first day of two-day early voting for the June 1 local elections. Yonhap |
The DPK, however, is worried that a recent internal feud, which was sparked by the DPK co-interim chief Park Ji-hyun's call for a sweeping reform of the party, and a sexual misconduct case involving one of its lawmakers may undermine its chances in the elections.
Both parties view the capital area, where half of the country's population resides, as a key battleground.
The Seoul mayoral election has been mainly a two-horse race between current Mayor Oh Se-hoon of the PPP and former DPK Chairman Song Young-gil. Recent polls showed Oh leading Song by a wide margin.
The race for Gyeonggi governor has been largely between former lawmaker Kim Eun-hye of the PPP and former Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon of the DPK. Recent polls showed that the two were running neck and neck. (Yonhap)
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