Merger, Only Ahn Cheol-soo's Decision Left... Approval Expected at the Highest Council as Early as Tomorrow

Postponed Once Due to Lee Taegyu's Resignation
Internal Discussions Remain Within the People Party
If Delayed, Local Election Nominations by Each Party at Risk

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] It has been confirmed that the People Power Party and the People’s Party have completed practical negotiations for their merger and have entered the final discussion stage. The decision was postponed once due to the unexpected variable of People’s Party lawmaker Lee Tae-gyu’s resignation from the transition committee position, but the merger plan is expected to be processed as early as the 14th.

According to officials from both parties on the 13th, the negotiation working-level team completed practical talks on the 10th and decided to declare the merger on the 11th, but postponed it temporarily after Lee expressed his intention to resign from the Planning and Coordination Subcommittee of the transition committee. As a result, only the decision of Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party and chairman of the Presidential Transition Committee, remains.

With just over a month left until the local election candidate registration day, both parties are expected to speed up their negotiations. If internal coordination is completed, it is highly likely to be approved at the People Power Party’s Supreme Council meeting on the 14th. A People Power Party official said, “We expect the merger to be processed within 2 to 3 days.” A People’s Party official also explained, “The differences between the two sides have been largely narrowed down,” adding, “After consultations with party members, it is now up to Leader Ahn to finalize the decision.”

Previously, the working-level teams of both parties had resolved most of their disagreements. The People Power Party agreed to bear about 1.7 billion won in debts and severance pay for party officials, which had been a contentious issue for the People’s Party. Also, the People Power Party agreed to allocate two seats to the People’s Party in the Supreme Council, and in the nomination process, if a People’s Party candidate runs and there are three or more candidates, a 100% public opinion poll cutoff will be conducted excluding party members.

However, if the People’s Party continues to ‘stall,’ the status of candidates running in the June 1 local elections will become uncertain. It will be unclear whether they will run as candidates of the People Power Party or the People’s Party. For basic and metropolitan council members, it will also become difficult to receive nomination bonus points through participation in the Basic Qualification Assessment (PPAT). A local preliminary candidate affiliated with the People’s Party said, “We are preparing for the election on the premise of merging with the People Power Party,” adding, “People’s Party screening committee members have not yet participated in the nomination screening committees of each city and province. The merger must be processed by this Thursday.”

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