The Democratic Party has once again failed to reach a conclusion on whether to implement a preferred voting system for the party leader election at the upcoming August 17 convention. The planned Supreme Council meeting for further discussion was also canceled, highlighting ongoing internal disagreements regarding the voting method.
According to Yonhap News, the party discussed the preferred voting system during a Supreme Council meeting on the morning of July 10 but could not come to a decision.
Kang Jun-hyun, the party's chief spokesperson, told reporters after the meeting, "We were unable to reach a conclusion regarding the election method for the party leader and Supreme Council members, as well as the election method for the youth Supreme Council member. While a time has not been set, we plan to hold another Supreme Council meeting tonight to make a decision."
As a result, the leadership intended to convene the Supreme Council around 9 p.m., but the Democratic Party notified reporters about 30 minutes before the scheduled start that the meeting would not take place.
The preferred voting system allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference on their ballots. If no candidate receives a majority of the votes, the votes for the lowest-ranked candidate are redistributed to the second-choice candidates of those who voted for the eliminated candidate, ultimately determining the winner.
Previously, the Preparatory Committee for the Convention had decided to introduce the preferred voting system for the party leader election. However, concerns were raised by the camp of Jung Cheong-rae, a candidate for the party leadership, who argued that it could violate party rules and regulations, prompting the leadership to revisit the issue. Decisions made by the Preparatory Committee are finalized after passing through the Supreme Council and the Party Affairs Committee.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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