Ahn proposes fielding single opposition candidate to Yoon

Ahn Cheol-soo, right, the presidential candidate of the minor opposition conservative People's Party, and Yoon Suk-yeol, left, the presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party, appear before the second TV debate among four of the presidential candidates, held at local broadcaster MBN in Seoul's Jung District, Friday. The other two candidates included Sim Sang-jung, on the back, of the Justice Party, and Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. Joint Press Corps

Presidential race enters final stretch with candidate registrations Sunday

By Jung Da-min

Minor opposition People's Party candidate Ahn Cheol-soo officially proposed fielding a single presidential candidate to main opposition People Power Party (PPP) candidate Yoon Suk-yeol, Sunday, in a bid to ensure a "landslide victory" against the ruling party.

His proposal came as the race for the March 9 presidential election enters the final stretch with most candidates of different parties completing candidate registration, Sunday, the first day of the two-day registration period of the National Election Commission (NEC).

Four major candidates, including Lee Jae-myung of the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), Yoon Suk-yeol of the PPP, Ahn of the People's Party and Sim Sang-jung of the minor opposition progressive Justice Party, have registered their candidacies.

With only about three weeks left ahead of the election, the prospect of a unified candidacy between the two opposition conservative parties ― Yoon and Ahn ― has risen as the biggest variable in the presidential race.

On Sunday, Ahn held a surprise press conference to propose the unified candidacy to Yoon, floating the idea of conducting a primary of the two candidates based on public opinion polls.

Although Yoon and the PPP welcomed Ahn's proposal, they opposed the primary based on public opinion polls and called on Ahn to make "a courageous decision," which was seen as an indirect call to back Yoon's single candidacy.

Currently, the two mainstream candidates, Lee and Yoon, are in a neck-and-neck race in opinion polls, with Ahn coming in third.

The unification of Yoon and Ahn, if achieved, is seen as a winning formula for the opposition bloc, but the result is unpredictable when the two sides are at odds over how to achieve that goal.

Ahn said a unified candidacy would be the only way for either of the candidates to win the election by a landslide to demonstrate overwhelming public support for a leadership change and political reform of the country, especially when the current ruling DPK has a supermajority in the National Assembly.

Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the minor opposition conservative People's Party, speaks during a surprise press conference to announce his proposal for a unified candidate to the main opposition conservative People Power Party and its candidate Yoon Suk-yeol, held online through YouTube, Sunday. Captured from YouTube

He added: "Even if an opposition candidate beats the ruling party candidate in a neck-and-neck race, it is highly likely that the president would have little power."

Ahn also said a primary based on public opinion polls would assure fairness to both candidates and their supporters, as well as other members of the public who have remained undecided over their preferred candidate.

"An overwhelming election victory is possible if both candidates first present their political visions and reform tasks as their election pledges to the members of the public, unify their candidacy through the primary based on public opinion polls and then form one team behind the single candidate and a running mate whoever wins the primary," Ahn said.

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"Then the two candidates would be able to work together after the election victory, to make the next administration a successful one."

At odds over method

Responding to Ahn's message, PPP spokesman Lee Yang-soo said: "We see the principle of unification of the opposition parties presented by candidate Ahn as a positive call reflecting the people's aspirations for a leadership change. However, the method proposed by candidate Ahn, which he referred to as a 'national primary,' runs the risk of going against the public's demand for the leadership change."

The PPP spokesman said the gap between the approval ratings of Ahn and Yoon is already large and such a primary based on public opinion polls could be abused as a measure to divide the opposition bloc by the DPK and supporters of Lee.

"We expect candidate Ahn Cheol-soo would make a courageous decision for the unification of the opposition bloc by respecting the people's aspirations and great cause for a leadership change," the spokesman said.

The PPP's Yoon also said later in the day that he positively views Ahn's proposal and he would review the national primary method he proposed, but said the proposal has left much to be desired without giving further explanation.

Yoon Suk-yeol, right, the presidential candidate of the main opposition conservative People Power Party, shakes hands with former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence ahead of their closed meeting at Signiel Seoul in Songpa District, Sunday. Courtesy of People Power Party

In a survey of 1,001 adults of their preferred presidential candidates conducted from Feb. 8 to 10 by local pollster Gallup Korea, 37 percent of the respondents said they support Yoon, followed by Lee at 36 percent and Ahn at 13 percent.

When there has been no surefire winner predicted in recent polls of the presidential hopefuls including the Gallup poll, the candidates have engaged in their last-ditch campaigning.

DPK's Lee has been trying to expand his support base by appealing to swing voters and centrists. Lee recently held a series of meetings with veteran conservative politicians including Kim Chong-in, former interim chief of the PPP, former lawmaker Yi Sang-don and former Environment Minister Yoon Yeo-joon.

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea, delivers a speech during his visit to a local market in Seogwipo city on Jeju Island, Sunday. Yonhap

PPP's Yoon has focused more on appealing to the younger generation in their 20s and 30s through different campaigning strategies including uploading YouTube videos targeting young voters.

Sim of the Justice Party has focused on promoting the rights of social minority groups including workers subject to poor conditions, women struggling to achieve social equality and the disabled fighting for their basic rights.

Sim Sang-jung, the presidential candidate of the minor opposition progressive Justice Party, speaks during a policy conference with health and welfare counselors at the Government Complex Gwacheon in Gyeonggi Province, Sunday. Joint Press Corps

So far, two rounds of TV debates among the four candidates have taken place. The first round held Feb. 3 was finished leaving no surefire winner. The candidates engaged in fiercer debates at the second round held last Friday, with Yoon and Lee attacking each other for alleged corruption scandals. As several more rounds of TV debates are expected to held, their ratings could also change in the presidential competition.

Further details of the polls are available on the website of the survey agency or of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.