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| Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, co-chairman of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, visits Cheong Wa Dae Friday, to pressure President Park Geun-hye to meet with him to discuss the scrapping of the party nomination system. / Yonhap |
Resistance growing in NPAD over scrapping party nominations
By Jun Ji-hye
Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, co-chairman of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD), visited Cheong Wa Dae, Friday, to submit an application for a meeting with President Park Geun-hye to her secretary.
His surprise visit came five days after he proposed that Park meet with him to discuss the scrapping of the practices of parties nominating candidates for local elections.
Park's senior secretary for political affairs Park Joon-woo received the first-term lawmaker at the visiting room of the presidential office.
During his visit, Ahn filled out an application form for a meeting with the President, asking her to reply to his inquiry by Monday. It is unprecedented that an opposition leader has visited the presidential house to fill out an application form meant for ordinary citizens.
"I have expressed my willingness a number of times to speak to President Park in person about various state affairs, but have not heard anything from her," Ahn told the senior secretary. "As a South Korean citizen, I came here (Cheong Wa Dae) to deliver my wish to her."
In response, the secretary said: "I am not sure about whether the office can reply by Monday, but it will answer anyway."
On Sunday, Ahn called for the meeting, saying he wants to get an explanation about why the governing side broke its campaign pledges to scrap party nominations.
In the run-up to the 2012 presidential election, Park, then the ruling Saenuri Party candidate, and Rep. Moon Jae-in, the now-defunct Democratic Party (DP) candidate, all promised to abolish the practice of parties nominating candidates for lower-level municipal provincial council elections.
The ruling party has decided to maintain the system ahead of the June 4 local polls, saying the abolition could cause unexpected side effects such as a flood of unqualified candidates.
Resistance from within
Ahn and NPAD co-chairman Rep. Kim Han-gil are adhering to the position not to nominate their party's candidates for the local elections.
However, Ahn is facing a growing resistance from members from his own party as well.
If NPAD would not nominate candidates to keep its promise to the public, the election results are expected to be devastating for the party.
Many members of the NPAD are calling for the withdrawal of the decision to forego nominations of candidate for the elections.
Ahn apparently believes putting the end to the practice is linked to his drive for new politics, which has been blamed for being too vague.
However, he needs to tide over the opposition from within his own party.
Rep. Shin Kyoung-min said Thursday, "Co-chairmen would rather dissolve the party than scrapping the nomination system," he said. "Abolishing nomination would result in identity confusion among candidates."
If the NPAD does not nominate candidates in the June elections, its members should run as independent candidates. However, the Public Official Election Law stipulates that those who belong to a political party cannot stand for elections as independent candidates.
Shin's remarks were referring to the situation where hopefuls of the NPAD have no choice, but to quit their party membership in order to run for the elections as independent candidates.
Rep. Jung Cheong-rae claimed on his Twitter account: "The best choice for Ahn at this stage is to accept his fate and save about 3,000 party members by overturning his promise."
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