Ahn Gyu-baek: "Full Revision of the Delegate System is Difficult... Considering Adjustment of Vote Reflection Ratio"

"The Delegate System Reflects the Historical Nature of the Democratic Party"

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[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] Ahn Kyu-baek, the chairperson of the Democratic Party’s National Convention Preparation Committee (Jeonjun Committee), stated that the voting weight ratio between delegates and party members with voting rights, a key issue in the party leader election rules, "can be adjusted." However, he clearly opposed the abolition of the delegate system.

In a phone interview with Asia Economy on the 14th, Ahn said, "Since the number of party members with voting rights is increasing, it is possible to consider adjusting their proportion somewhat," adding, "The Jeonjun Committee will gather consensus and reach a conclusion." Currently, the voting weight ratio for the national convention is 45% delegates, 40% party members with voting rights, 10% general public, and 5% general party members. The intention is to increase the voting weight ratio of party members with voting rights somewhat to ensure the ‘equivalence’ of delegate votes.

On the other hand, he drew a line against the complete abolition of the delegate system. Ahn said, "The ‘delegate system’ is a mechanism designed to balance the concentration of party members in Honam and the metropolitan area and to move toward a nationwide party," adding, "It is difficult to significantly change a system that aligns with the values and spirit of the Democratic Party." He also said, "The system was designed to compensate for the insufficient number of party members in Daegu and Gyeongbuk, and it cannot be stretched like a rubber band according to the times."

However, he expressed a negative stance toward increasing the proportion of general public opinion polls like the People Power Party. He said, "The Democratic Party has historical and social values as the Democratic Party," and added, "The fundamental principle is that party office candidates are given the authority to be elected by party members, and public office candidates are given authority by the public," showing a cautious position.

The pro-Myeong faction has not yet issued a specific response to this. Previously, Kim Nam-guk, a pro-Myeong lawmaker, pointed out issues such as the ‘equivalence of votes’ where the value of votes between party members with voting rights and delegates differs, and that many delegates have strong factional colors, making it difficult for political newcomers to take party leadership.

The Jeonjun Committee will discuss the national convention rules for about a month after completing the committee composition. Candidate registration is expected to begin around mid-next month.

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