Ahn Cheol-soo Abruptly Accepts Competition and Suitability Polls... "Unreasonable but Will Accept"

Seoul Mayor Candidate Oh Se-hoon of People Power Party Accepts Proposal
Full Negotiation Authority Should Be Granted to Candidate Oh of People Power Party

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Ahn Cheol-soo, the People’s Party candidate for Seoul mayor, stated on the 18th, "I will fully accept the polling method proposed this morning by Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding the breakdown of the agreement for opposition candidate unification through the poll scheduled for the 19th, Ahn said in an urgent statement, "The working negotiation team pointed out several issues, saying (Oh’s) proposal was unreasonable, but I will accept it for the greater good."

He added, "I just received a report from the Secretary-General that it is no longer possible to reach an agreement through the unification negotiation team, making it inevitable for each candidate to register separately," but said, "Although time is tight, I believe there is still time. I will not let go of the last thread of negotiation."

Ahn also said, "I would appreciate it if the People Power Party respects Oh’s opinion and entrusts him with full authority," and added, "I believe achieving opposition candidate unification by any means is a political duty to all supporters of the broad opposition."

Earlier, Jeong Yang-seok, Secretary-General of the People Power Party, and Lee Tae-gyu, Secretary-General of the People’s Party, said regarding the candidate unification, "It has become difficult to keep the promise of completing the poll today and registering the unified candidate tomorrow," adding, "It has become difficult both physically and politically. Nevertheless, we will not let go of the unification effort and will continue to work on it."

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