Ahn Cheol-soo: "Opposition Proposes 'Joint General Election Evaluation Meeting'... Must Engage in Innovation Competition" (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, proposed a 'Joint General Election Evaluation Meeting' to the opposition on the 4th. At the first meeting of the Innovation Preparation Committee, which was held as a general election evaluation meeting at the Irum Center in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, Ahn said, "While each pursues its own politics, let us share the era’s demands and innovation tasks given to the opposition through the joint general election evaluation meeting and engage in innovation competition together."

Ahn said, "Many say that this election was not a victory for the ruling party but a defeat for the opposition," adding, "The simple integration discussions of the past cannot solve the problem, nor can they expand the overall pie of the opposition. Now, we need the determination to abandon everything and start anew from a blank slate."

Ahn emphasized, "Through innovation competition, the entire opposition must fundamentally change. Only when the innovatively transformed opposition leads the flow of the times and the hearts of the people will the public grant opportunities."

Regarding the general election results, Ahn pointed out, "It is unreasonable to limit the ruling party’s victory factors solely to populist policies such as COVID-19 and nationwide disaster relief payments," and criticized, "Regrettably, even after the election defeat, voices of self-reflection and innovation are not properly heard within the opposition."

Jung Yeon-jung, chair of the General Election Evaluation Committee, said in a briefing after a three-hour general election evaluation meeting, "There was a sharp criticism asking what the People’s Party was doing amid the two-party structure, and whether it only thought about the trickle-down effect," adding, "As Ahn mentioned, there was agreement that since the opposition’s pie has shrunk, unless the opposition innovates or reorganizes significantly, it will be difficult for the opposition to win the next presidential election regardless of what the People’s Party does."

Chair Jung said that during the meeting, there was discussion about what role the party should play as a leader of innovation competition until the presidential election two years later, and Ahn reportedly said regarding his candidacy for the presidential election, "The presidential candidate is a means, and if I have to go out and fight for the party’s survival and operation, I have no choice but to do so at any time."

After the meeting, Ahn told reporters that some interpret the proposal for a 'Joint General Election Evaluation Meeting' as a policy alliance or integration discussion with the United Future Party, saying, "I clearly stated in my opening remarks that 'there must be competition,'" and added, "If conservatives and progressives go into a one-on-one structure, conservatives will lose every time. Would we go down a path where it’s obvious they will lose every time?"

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