Targeting Floating Votes to Take Lead in Race

With the presidential election only 50 days away, presidential candidates’ election campaigning is in full swing. In particular, as the popularity of candidates, which almost did not changed for the past three months is now showing some sign of change and floating votes are increasing, each candidate’s campaign camps are focusing on drawing votes to take the lead in the election.

Ñ The Grand National Party’s candidate Lee Hoi-chang = He has a plan to maintain the current situation in public opinion polls, in which Mr. Lee leads the poll over the other two major candidates. To do so, his camp plans to continue its efforts to bring Park Geun-he from the Korean Coalition for the Future, former premier Park Tae-jun, Kim Yoon-hwan, leader of the Democratic People’s Party into its fold. His camp also tries to pit Rho Moo-hyun, presidential candidate of the Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) against Chung Mong-joon of National Unity 21 in order to disperse votes. They judge that in the last stage of the campaign, they can take the lead by a big margin, by adding votes in Gangweon Province to their assured votes from Gyeongsang Province.

Ñ Rho Moo-hyun of the MDP = His camp is focusing on regaining supporting base in metropolitan areas in and around Seoul and Jeolla Province that Rep. Rho has lost to candidate Chung. They think that if they let traditional supporting base of the MDP rally behind him, he can take the 2nd place and later he can turn the tide in favor of him. They also expect that candidate Chung could lag behind in the middle of the race. Within the MDP, candidate Rho has a plan to get support from figures taking a milled-of-the-road stance and pro-reform lawmakers such as Rep. Kim Geun-tae.

Ñ Chung Mong-joon of National Unity 21 = When he creates the new party on the 5th next month, he will incorporate a lot of incumbent lawmakers and figures into the party and strengthen his supporting base by presenting clear party platforms and policies. In the end he is aiming at selecting one candidate to go against Lee Hoi-chang. He judges that with vigorous campaign in Gyeongsang Province, his camp could take the lead in the race. Kim Min-seok, chief of the campaign strategy committee said that even if the popularity of Rep. Chung drops a little bit due to the Hyundae stock price manipulation scandal, he has still a chance to win with his image of political integrity.