Last year, the turnout rate was 7 percentage points lower than the previous main convention, at 40%.
The issue of requesting the withdrawal of charges in the Fast Track case is a point of contention.
Analysis suggests that predicting the election outcome has become difficult,
Candidates for the leadership of the People Power Party are trying to grab the voters’ attention in the final weekend before the 7.23 main convention. From left, candidates Han Dong-hoon, Na Kyung-won, Won Hee-ryong, and Yoon Sang-hyun. Yonhap News,
, ‘During the final push to consolidate their support base, the leading contenders of the People Power Party focused on interpretations favoring their own camp regarding the low voter turnout in the mobile vote. Han Dong-hoon’s camp analyzed that the mobilization power of the pro-Yoon (pro-Yoon Suk-yeol) faction decreased and claimed to have secured a majority in the first round of voting. On the other hand, Na Kyung-won and Won Hee-ryong claimed that “the possibility of heading to a final vote has increased.”‘,
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, ‘According to the People Power Party on the 21st, a general public opinion poll for the 7.23 main convention will be conducted using an automatic response system (ARS) for two days starting from that day. The party members who did not participate in the mobile vote on the 19th and 20th are also eligible. The results, which will be announced at the main convention on the 23rd, will reflect a combination of 80% of member votes and 20% of the opinion poll. If there is no candidate with a majority of votes in the first round, a final vote will be conducted.’,
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, ‘Observations suggest that the situation has become hard to predict due to one candidate’s revelation regarding the request for the withdrawal of charges in the Fast Track case, which has emerged as a variable in the election race. It is uncertain whether the dominant opinion against one candidate’s touch on the “party’s heart” will gain strength until the end.’,
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, ‘Earlier on the 17th, one candidate asked Na, “Didn’t I ask you to request the withdrawal of the charges in the Fast Track case?” Na, who was the floor leader in 2019 and conflicted with the Democratic Party in a physical clash while trying to fast-track bills like the Public Official Property Disclosure Act, is currently on trial because of it.’,
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, ‘With the party’s mobile voter turnout recording 40.47%, which is 7.04 percentage points lower than the 47.51% from the main convention on 3.8 last year, each camp has presented varied interpretations.’,
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, ‘One candidate’s camp stated through a phone conversation, “The voter turnout does not have a significant impact on securing a majority in the first round” and said, “It seems like the mobilization power of the faction has not been fully deployed, so wouldn’t that disadvantage the other candidates?” The absence of the pro-Yoon organization chart that led Kim Ki-hyun’s victory in the previous main convention has resulted in the lower voter turnout. Another official conveyed, “If one candidate is overwhelmingly supported, there seems to be a tendency for the opposing camp to refrain from voting due to a sense of helplessness.”‘,
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, ‘On the other hand, Na and Won’s camps diagnosed that it was mainly one candidate’s support base that refrained from voting in large numbers. In particular, Na’s camp sees the backlash from one candidate’s comments requesting the withdrawal of charges as significant. One official said, “Because one candidate has touched the emotional nerves of the party members, we are likely to head to a final vote.”‘,
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, ‘Won’s camp, supported by the pro-Yoon faction, also anticipates a consolidation of the support base. Won’s camp claimed, “We have significantly more current lawmakers and district council chairmen supporting us than other candidates, about 100 people,” and argued, “Wouldn’t we be the ones to proceed to the final vote?”‘,
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, ‘Yoon Sang-hyun, another candidate, stated in the parliament, “The low voter turnout reflects disappointment among party members due to negative campaigning between candidates and physical clashes among supporters.”‘,
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, ‘As of 6 p.m. on that day, the cumulative voter turnout, including the ARS (9.3%), was recorded at 45.98%. Although there is one more day left for ARS voting, it is speculated that the final voter turnout will be lower than the previous main convention (55.1%).\n’]