“That act””Identity controversy”… No candidates one after another

Ahn Cheol-soo, the head of the National Assembly Party, speaks at the Supreme Council meeting held in the National Assembly on the morning of the 7th. 2021.1.7 Reporter Oh Jong-taek

As the debate on unifying the opposition for the by-election of the mayor of Seoul centered on the National Assembly Representative Ahn Chul-soo is speeding up, the pace of the relatively weak opposition candidates is busy. If the so-called’Ahn Chul-soo’s popular theory’ spreads further, it could lead to distraction from public opinion without even trying to use force.

In a radio interview on the 8th, former lawmaker Na Kyung-won, a member of the People’s Power, said, “(Regarding the run for the Seoul mayoral by-election), I almost made up my mind. “I will be able to tell you sooner or later,” he said. “In the middle of this month, we will reveal (final decision).” This implied that the declaration of running was imminent.

Regarding the possibility that Ahn will win the contest under the power of the people, former lawmaker I diagnosed, “I don’t think it’s difficult to come so easily.” “In order for Ahn to show the sincerity of unification, it is true to join our party. (To do so) I have to join the candidate before the registration period, but can it be decided in a hurry?” So, “it’s not easy” is what I thought of former lawmakers.

Such remarks are interpreted as a check against the unifying atmosphere of’Ahn Chul-soo’s center’ that flows unusually from the previous day. On the 6th, after Chairman Kim Jong-in met with CEO Ahn and made a direct suggestion to’contemplate joining the company and ask for a phone call’, this flow of checks continues. On the 7th, when the news of the meeting was announced, former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said, “If Representative Ahn does not join the power of the people or if the people’s strength is not appropriate, I will run.” It is interpreted that the’conditional declaration of running for a run’ saying, “I will wait for the decision,” is an extension of that trend.

Currently, there are 11 candidates including Mayor Oh who have finished declaring for mayor of Seoul in the opposition. If I even cast the votes for the former lawmaker, 12 people from the opposition alone will compete for the seat of the mayor of Seoul. Ahn’s recent public opinion polls have largely excluded other opposition candidates, and the unification trend in the leadership of the People’s Power has increased, increasing the burden among candidates, “Is it impossible to highlight the sense of presence and become Ahn Cheol-soo too soon?” .

Se-hoon Oh, Chairman of the National Future Vision Special Committee of the Free Korea Party (left) and Na Kyung-won, the new Korean party leader. [중앙포토, 연합뉴스]

In addition, former lawmaker Geum Tae-seop, who left the Democratic Party and stayed in the third zone, also strongly criticized Ahn on the 8th. In a radio interview on the day, Congressman Geum Jeon said, “Even when Representative Ahn declared to run for mayor of Seoul, there was nothing to tell (to the party members) what procedure was carried out in the National Assembly. When a political party is making a candidate, the representative does not decide to declare it alone, but the members must agree,” he criticized, saying, “Isn’t the entrepreneurial mind still left when doing business.”

On the same day, Congressman Geum Jeon also proposed a public debate with candidates for the mayor of Seoul through Facebook. He said, “Whether or not, the’one shot’ contest, what citizens want to hear is not about such a quarrel. Seoul citizens should be able to hear the stories of the candidates and evaluate their capabilities.”

Among the people’s strength runners, former lawmaker Kim Seon-dong, who declared a run for the country relatively early, also held a press conference on the same day and demanded that “first, we must hold a contest between the people’s strength candidates and then discuss unification. Former Congressman Kim said, “We are going to the wrong contest where we only remember first place. He argued that it is a political morality to develop one’s own strength as the first opposition party and to unify it at the last minute. In particular, targeting Representative Ahn, he strongly criticized that “the idea of ​​bringing people with controversy over identity as warriors of the old country is an act of ruining the party and betraying the party members.”

Meanwhile, the People’s Power of the April 7 re-election by-election nomination committee held a meeting in the morning and held the preliminary contest with 20% of the party member vote and 80% of the public opinion poll, and then announced that it has confirmed the plan to hold 100% of the public opinion poll. As the party member vote was removed from the main contest, Ahn, an outsider of the party, came in and created a good environment for the contest. “It may be regrettable from the standpoint of the party members, but you will recognize exactly where the cause of this by-election is,” said Chairman Jeong Jin-seok, “I look forward to Ahn’s courage.”

Reporter Sung Jiwon [email protected]