Chaos of satellite parties could be repeated at upcoming general elections

“The quasi-linked system is imperfect, but it is a step forward and a valuable achievement. We will find the way to victory within the quasi-linked system, rather than going back to the past,” said Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, announcing the maintenance of the current quasi-linked proportional representation system. He also stated that satellite parties will be established through the democratic reform election union. With his announcement, the confusion from four years ago when multiple satellite parties were created is expected to be repeated for the upcoming April 10 general elections.

Lee’s decision to maintain the quasi-linked system came just two months before the elections as he was going back and forth between the parallel system and the linked system regarding which one would work more favorably for the Democratic Party during the elections. For the election system, which should be designed to reflect the public’s needs accurately, the majority party that holds the key to law revision put off the decision for a long time and ended up deciding to maintain the current system without any improvement. Furthermore, the party announced the decision at the very last minute so that there is no room for negotiation between the ruling and opposition parties and no time for people to make judgments. It is another case of the majority opposition party’s tyranny and mockery of people.

The quasi-linked proportional representation system was introduced by the Democratic Party of Korea and the Justice Party during the 21st general elections with the cause of preventing monopoly by the two major parties and allowing more members of minor parties in the National Assembly. However, the ruling and opposition parties created satellite parties to take advantage of the system. They even took proportional representative positions, which nullified the original intention and only strengthened the structure of the two major parties. As 35 temporary parties, which were established solely for the elections and disappeared soon after that, were created, the ballot paper was 48-centimeter-long and so-called twin busses appeared during election campaigns where those on the bus used expedients, such as wearing jackets inside out or having two signs for different candidates, to avoid the violations of the Election Act.

Due to such issues, Lee promised to launch the linked proportional representation system without satellite parties during the last presidential election. However, he implied going back to the parallel system by saying, “What’s the point of looking cool when you lose?” at the end of last year but retreated due to opposition within the party. Now, he announced that he would go ahead with the bizarre elections full of schemes and expedients again. He at least pretended to be dragged along against his will four years ago, but now he formalized the establishment of satellite parties.

Lee shifted the responsibility to the People Power Party by saying that the Democratic Party was only responding to the ruling party’s use of satellite parties and that how his party could fight with bear hands when the ruling party attacked with knives. What collusion or transactions will be made is unknown when the opposition party intends to create pan-opposition satellite parties while pointing fingers at others. It is highly likely that scandalous figures would get involved. The People Power Party also held a meeting of initiators to found satellite parties. While the public might have been tricked by the scheme four years ago, they should carefully examine the upcoming general elections and make proper judgments.