The Democratic Party has swiftly concluded its candidate selection for the June 3 local elections, finishing with the announcement of its candidate for the Jeju governor position on the 18th. The party is now accelerating its candidate selection for the concurrent by-elections. Given that many of these elections are in districts previously held by the Democratic Party, the goal is to finalize selections by the first week of May to maximize the campaign period for candidates.
As of the 24th, the Democratic Party has strategically nominated attorney Jeon Tae-jin (Ulsan Nam-gu Gap), former leader Song Young-gil (Incheon Yeonsu Gap), and former Blue House spokesperson Kim Nam-jun (Incheon Gyeyang). Song and Kim, whose nominations were confirmed the previous day, attended a Supreme Council meeting held in Incheon Yeonsu.
Strategic Nomination Committee Chair Hwang Hee stated to reporters at the National Assembly the day before, "There is not much time until the election." Secretary-General Cho Seung-rae also noted, "We need to complete the nominations by the first week of May, so the Strategic Nomination Management Committee will hold meetings almost daily to narrow down and finalize candidate regions."
While the Democratic Party is moving quickly, it is also exercising caution in its nomination reviews. The current strategic nominations involve three approaches: recruiting new talent, promoting internal candidates, and reallocating existing prominent figures. According to the party, Jeon is a new recruit, Kim is an internal promotion, and Song is a reallocation.
Additionally, there is growing interest in nominations for former Gangwon Province Governor Lee Kwang-jae, AI Future Planning Chief Ha Jung-woo, former Democratic Research Institute Deputy Director Kim Yong, and party spokesperson Kim Nam-guk.
Previously, Party Leader Jeong Cheong-rae praised Lee's spirit of 'putting the party before personal gain' and emphasized the need to provide him with an opportunity. He has also repeatedly urged Ha to run for office. Lee is being considered for the Gyeonggi Province Hanam Gap candidacy, while Ha is mentioned for Busan Buk-gu Gap. Meanwhile, Kim is requesting a nomination from the party, and Kim Nam-guk has expressed his intention to run in Ansan Gap.
The upcoming by-elections are expected to take place in up to 14 districts, including five vacancies resulting from President Lee Jae-myung's inauguration, the resignation of Chief Presidential Secretary Kang Hoon-sik, and a district where a disqualification ruling was issued. If local election candidates resign, this could lead to additional vacancies. Among these, 13 districts are Democratic Party strongholds.
According to current election laws, by-elections in the first half of the year will be held for vacancies confirmed by the 30th of this month. The deadline for incumbent lawmakers to resign to run in local elections is set for the 4th of next month, leading some to speculate that resignations may be delayed.
However, Party Leader Jeong has urged the eight Democratic candidates for local government positions to resign by the 29th. Meanwhile, the People Power Party is in the process of finalizing its candidate for the Daegu mayoral runoff between lawmakers Choo Kyung-ho and Yoo Young-ha, with one expected to be confirmed by the 26th. Given that Daegu is a conservative stronghold, there are expectations that a resignation will occur before the 30th.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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