The 15 Dragons Stirring in People Power Party... Narrowed Down to 4 → Presidential Candidate Selected Through a Two-Person Race

First Cutoff Narrows Field to Four, Second to Two
If a Candidate Wins Majority, Final Nominee Decided Without Runoff
First Cutoff Based 100% on Public Opinion Polls
Second Round and Main Primary Split Evenly Between Public and Party Member Votes

The People Power Party has finalized the 'game rules' for selecting its presidential candidate. The process involves narrowing down the candidates to four in the first preliminary round (cutoff), then reducing them to two in the second round for a head-to-head contest. Although nearly 15 candidates are competing, the strategy aims to maximize attention on the primary election in a situation where there is no clear 'front-runner.'

On the 10th, the People Power Party held an emergency committee meeting and confirmed the primary rules to narrow the candidates to four in the first cutoff and then to two in the second round.

Compared to the past, this time the candidates will be significantly reduced starting from the first cutoff. This is interpreted as a consideration of the roughly 15 candidates and the short election period. The goal is to create excitement around the primary with a speedy process and to leverage the convention effect. In the 19th early presidential election, the number of candidates was reduced from 6 in the first cutoff to 4 in the second, and in the previous 20th presidential election, from 8 in the first cutoff to 4 in the second.

Lee Yang-su, Secretary General of the People Power Party, is answering reporters' questions about the presidential candidate selection method at the National Assembly on April 10, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

In this primary, the first cutoff will be conducted 100% through a public opinion poll of the general public without party member voting. In the second cutoff and the main primary, the votes of the electorate (party members) and the general public opinion polls will be reflected equally. The intention is to attract nationwide attention in the first round and then select candidates who gain the consent of both party members and the public in the second round. However, if a candidate obtains a majority in the four-person primary, the two-person runoff will not be held. Lee Yang-su, Secretary-General and Vice Chairman of the Election Commission, explained, "There were many requests to increase the proportion of public sentiment reflection, so we allowed four candidates who meet the public's expectations to proceed to the primary."

Regarding party member voting, there will be no on-site voting by the electorate. Instead, the electorate will be expanded. Not only responsible party members but also those who have paid party dues at least once within the past year will have voting rights. Additionally, all primary polls will apply measures to prevent reverse selection.

The primary schedule has also been finalized. Candidate registration will begin on the 14th and 15th. On the 16th, preliminary candidates will be announced after document screening. A media day will be held on the 17th. The candidates who pass the document screening will be divided into three groups for debates from the 18th to the 20th. Public opinion polls will be conducted on the 21st and 22nd. On the evening of the 22nd, the four candidates advancing to the primary will be announced, followed by a media day for them on the 23rd. From the 24th to the 25th, one-on-one leadership debates will be held among the four candidates, where one candidate leads and selects another candidate to debate. On the 27th and 28th, party member voting and public opinion polls will be conducted, and on the 29th, the two candidates advancing to the main primary will be announced. On the 30th, a final head-to-head debate between the two will take place. Finally, the presidential candidate will be officially selected at the party convention on the 3rd of next month. Joint regional speeches will not be held, considering the short primary period that makes regional joint campaigns impossible. The primary schedule will mainly be conducted through media in Seoul.

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