The People Power Party's Supreme Council discussed the re-election of local committee chairs on August 20 but failed to reach a conclusion.
Chief Spokesperson Choi Bo-yun told reporters after the meeting that the decision on the election of the 2026 regular local party committee chair would be postponed.
The council intends to consider the opinions of incumbent lawmakers regarding the election of committee chairs through a lawmakers' meeting before making a decision. Choi stated, "While the Supreme Council is not bound by the decisions made in the lawmakers' meeting, those opinions will be shared with the Supreme Council to inform their deliberations."
The Supreme Council reconvened after initially failing to reach a conclusion but ultimately adjourned without voting on the related agenda. The Supreme Council resumed before the lawmakers' meeting concluded, which likely contributed to the lack of input for their decision.
Political analysts suggest that the delay in decision-making stems from the need for careful discussion regarding the full re-election of committee chairs, a proposal pushed by Party Leader Jang Dong-hyuk. Given the unresolved internal dissent, the party aims to deliberate thoroughly before reaching a conclusion. It is reported that all Supreme Council members agreed to consider the lawmakers' meeting decisions in their discussions.
There are differing opinions within the Supreme Council. Member Woo Jae-jun expressed to reporters, "I believe our leadership lacks the authority to undertake such actions," pointing out that it essentially amounts to preemptively exercising power over the next general election nominations. Conversely, member Jo Kwang-han argued that it is a valuable measure to strengthen the party's capabilities, questioning, "If we do not receive even minimal trust from responsible party members, how can we expect to win the next general election?"
According to the People Power Party's constitution and regulations, local committee chairs can be re-elected at the end of August in even-numbered years. Recently, incumbents have typically been re-elected, except in cases where issues arose, such as resignations.
Chief Spokesperson Choi Bo-yun told reporters after the meeting that the decision on the election of the 2026 regular local party committee chair would be postponed.
The council intends to consider the opinions of incumbent lawmakers regarding the election of committee chairs through a lawmakers' meeting before making a decision. Choi stated, "While the Supreme Council is not bound by the decisions made in the lawmakers' meeting, those opinions will be shared with the Supreme Council to inform their deliberations."
The Supreme Council reconvened after initially failing to reach a conclusion but ultimately adjourned without voting on the related agenda. The Supreme Council resumed before the lawmakers' meeting concluded, which likely contributed to the lack of input for their decision.
Political analysts suggest that the delay in decision-making stems from the need for careful discussion regarding the full re-election of committee chairs, a proposal pushed by Party Leader Jang Dong-hyuk. Given the unresolved internal dissent, the party aims to deliberate thoroughly before reaching a conclusion. It is reported that all Supreme Council members agreed to consider the lawmakers' meeting decisions in their discussions.
There are differing opinions within the Supreme Council. Member Woo Jae-jun expressed to reporters, "I believe our leadership lacks the authority to undertake such actions," pointing out that it essentially amounts to preemptively exercising power over the next general election nominations. Conversely, member Jo Kwang-han argued that it is a valuable measure to strengthen the party's capabilities, questioning, "If we do not receive even minimal trust from responsible party members, how can we expect to win the next general election?"
According to the People Power Party's constitution and regulations, local committee chairs can be re-elected at the end of August in even-numbered years. Recently, incumbents have typically been re-elected, except in cases where issues arose, such as resignations.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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