‘Big showdown` expected at April 29 by-elections

The ruling and opposition parties have effectively completed nomination of their respective candidates, and launched in earnest reparations for re-elections and by-elections set on April 29.

The ruling Saenuri Party plans to give boost to state administration of the Park Geun-hye administration in its third year by winning the elections and by-elections held in four districts. Chairman Moon Jae-in of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy is determined to elevate NPAD’s stature as the main opposition party by promoting economy for people’s livelihoods. The upcoming elections are the first elections to be held since his inauguration.

The Saenuri Party had already nominated as its candidates Oh Shin-hwan, chairman of the party’s Seoul Gwanak B district chapter, and former lawmaker Shin Sang-jin for Jungwon district in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, while recruiting Jeong Seung, a former minister of food and drug safety, as its candidate for Gwangju’s Seo B district.

Holding a press conference to announce his candidacy on the day, Jeong said, “By utilizing my network as well as capacity as an administrator that I have built up while working for the government for 32 years, I will make major contributions to Gwangju.” As for Incheon’s Ganghwa B district for which by-election plan was fixed last week, both the ruling and main opposition parties are taking process to select their respective candidates.

Saenuri plans to start campaigning to attract voter support in districts where the elections are set to take place by visiting the districts in succession, starting with an onsite meeting of its Supreme Council in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province on Thursday. “We will hold the election by promoting the slogan of ‘workers (lawmakers) hailing from the local region,’” a source at the party said. “As elections are taking place due to the dissolution of the former Unified Progressive Party in three districts, we will try to hold NPAD responsible, as the party formed coalition with UPP at the 2012 general elections.”

Through a primary convention held on Saturday, NPAD nominated former presidential spokesman Jeong Tae-ho for Seoul’s Gwanak B district, Jeong Hwan-seok, chairman of the party’s Jungwon district committee in Seongnam, and former lawmaker Cho Yeong-taek for Gwangju’s Seo B district. All three areas are considered opposition camp’s turfs, but the party anticipates a challenging election as the opposition camp has failed to unify candidates this time, with former lawmaker Chun Jeong-bae, a former executive advisor to the party, running in Gwangju’s Seo B district as an independent candidate.

Jin Seong-joon, chairman of NPAD’s strategic planning committee, told a press meeting on the day, “Rather securing additional parliamentary seats, if NPAD can demonstrate to the public its innovation efforts and changes through the election process, this would constitute a bigger political achievement.” The party lowered expectations preemptively due to concern over ramifications that are expected when it loses the elections. The party has decided to use a strategy of positivism such as "give the main opposition party a chance," rather than strategy of negativism such as "make judgment of the administration."

always@donga.com