Democratic Party's Possibility of Joining Proportional Alliance Party That Consolidates Votes from Minor Parties

Senior figures from civil society held a press conference on the morning of the 28th at Heungsadan in Daehangno, proposing the establishment of the Political Reform Alliance to block the Future Korea Party and complete political reform.

[Asia Economy Reporters Park Cheol-eung, Won Dara, Lim Chun-han] As the formation of a progressive camp-only proportional representation alliance party becomes more visible, the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is facing deep concerns. Although the DPK maintains its stance of not creating a satellite party on its own, it is considering whether to participate in the alliance party. On the other hand, the Justice Party and the Minsheng Party, both belonging to the broader ruling coalition, strongly oppose this move by the DPK.

Separately, former lawmaker Jeong Bong-ju, who has declared the founding of the 'Open Democratic Party' to compete with the DPK, and supporters of President Moon Jae-in are also discussing party unification. This trend is expected to be a decisive turning point in the general election landscape due to the introduction of the semi-proportional representation electoral system.

On the 2nd, former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon commented on the proposal by the Sovereign National Assembly, composed of progressive elders, to establish a tentative 'Political Reform Alliance,' saying, "Since such a movement proposal came from outside the party, the position should be prepared through the party's system."

The Political Reform Alliance party is reported to have sent proposals not only to the DPK but also to the Justice Party, Green Party, Future Party, and others. The method involves accepting proportional candidates from agreeing parties in a kind of dispatch format to contest the election, and after the election, sending them back to their original parties.

This is literally a united front to counter the Future Korea Party, a satellite party created by the United Future Party. From the DPK’s perspective, rather than increasing the number of proportional seats through this, the goal is to prevent the Future Korea Party from monopolizing seats.

According to a proportional representation party vote intention survey conducted by Realmeter on behalf of 'OhmyNews' on the 2nd (survey target: nationwide adults aged 18 and over, respondents: 1,015, response rate: 5.1%, sampling error: ±3.1 percentage points at 95% confidence level. For details, refer to the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website), the DPK stands at 35.3%, and the Future Korea Party at 30%. However, considering that out of 47 proportional seats, 17 are parallel seats that can be obtained regardless of constituency seats, the DPK can only secure about 6 seats.

If the DPK participates in the alliance party, it is expected to receive a favorable list position that does not greedily seek more than the maximum 7 proportional seats it can secure under the current structure. This can achieve the original purpose of the semi-proportional system: increasing the number of seats for minor parties while minimizing the seats of the Future Korea Party. Of course, if the DPK tries to increase its share within the alliance party, it is likely to face concentrated public criticism and break negotiations with other minor parties.

The 'Open Democratic Party,' promoted by former lawmaker Jeong and former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Geun-sik, may also participate in the alliance party. At a press conference on the 28th of last month, Jeong proposed, "I suggest moving forward unconditionally with the various proportional party movements and their main forces being prepared within the democratic camp."

It is already known that discussions are underway to merge with the 'Awakened Citizens Solidarity Party.' The Citizens Solidarity Party, which is about to be founded, was formed by supporters of President Moon Jae-in and declares its aim to "complete reforms of the prosecution, police, media, and judiciary, and move toward the future to protect the homeland (祖國, Joguk)."

Time is short. According to election law, the party must be established by the 16th, including the party constitution and regulations, and democratic procedures for selecting proportional candidates.

However, the Justice Party holds a firm stance. Justice Party leader Shim Sang-jung criticized at a press briefing that "the founding of a proportional DPK lacks justification, so it seems they want to legitimize it by joining with small parties," calling it fundamentally a "trick party," whether it is a proportional DPK or an alliance party. Park Joo-hyun, co-leader of the Minsheng Party, also pointed out at the supreme council meeting, "Election reform is becoming a patchwork. The United Future Party created the Future Korea Party, and the People’s Party has declared itself a proportional specialist party."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.