The ruling Grand National Party (GNP) has decided to convene a national convention to elect its new leadership sometime between July 10 and 14, its floor leader said Friday, as the party was struggling to win back support after its crushing defeat in last week's local elections.
The party's chairman, Chung Mong-joon, and other ranking officials resigned en masse last Friday to take responsibility for the defeat in the June 2 elections, in which the GNP won six of the 16 gubernatorial and mayoral races while the rival main opposition Democratic Party garnered seven.
The elections were considered a mid-term test for the Lee Myung-bak administration and a presage of the parliamentary and presidential races in 2012.
"The date of the party congress was decided with unilateral consent in the 'emergency management committee' meeting," Kim Moo-sung, floor leader and head of the interim leadership, told reporters. "We'll commission a preparation committee for the congress, set to be formed this afternoon, to decide exactly when, how and where to hold the event."
The meeting was the first since the "emergency management committee" was organized Thursday.
Opinions in the party have been equally divided over whether to hold the congress "before the July 28 by-elections" or in August.
Interim leaders judged that if the congress is delayed until after the by-elections, it could be further delayed till the end of August due to the normal high season for summer vacation and that it would not be proper to hold the emergency leadership for a long period, other party officials said.
Kim said the emergency leadership will briskly discuss ways to reform the party in future meetings.
//Yonhap
The party's chairman, Chung Mong-joon, and other ranking officials resigned en masse last Friday to take responsibility for the defeat in the June 2 elections, in which the GNP won six of the 16 gubernatorial and mayoral races while the rival main opposition Democratic Party garnered seven.
The elections were considered a mid-term test for the Lee Myung-bak administration and a presage of the parliamentary and presidential races in 2012.
"The date of the party congress was decided with unilateral consent in the 'emergency management committee' meeting," Kim Moo-sung, floor leader and head of the interim leadership, told reporters. "We'll commission a preparation committee for the congress, set to be formed this afternoon, to decide exactly when, how and where to hold the event."
The meeting was the first since the "emergency management committee" was organized Thursday.
Opinions in the party have been equally divided over whether to hold the congress "before the July 28 by-elections" or in August.
Interim leaders judged that if the congress is delayed until after the by-elections, it could be further delayed till the end of August due to the normal high season for summer vacation and that it would not be proper to hold the emergency leadership for a long period, other party officials said.
Kim said the emergency leadership will briskly discuss ways to reform the party in future meetings.
//Yonhap
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com