Ruling and Opposition Parties Agree to Introduce Multi-Member Constituency System in Four Gwangju Districts (Update)

First Introduction in Metropolitan Councils...
Pilot Regions Expanded to 27
Proportional Representation Increased to 14%

The ruling and opposition parties agreed on April 17 to introduce the multi-member constituency system for the first time in elections for city and provincial council members in four electoral districts of Gwangju Metropolitan City (Dong-gu/Nam-gu Gap, Buk-gu Gap, Buk-gu Eul, and Gwangsan-gu Eul).

Yoon Gunyoung, Chair of the National Assembly Special Committee on Political Reform and Subcommittee on Public Official Election Law and Local Electoral District Reorganization. Yonhap News Agency

Chun Junho, Senior Deputy Floor Leader for the Democratic Party of Korea; Yoo Sangbeom, Senior Deputy Floor Leader for the People Power Party; Yoon Gunyoung, Democratic Party lawmaker and ruling party secretary for the National Assembly Special Committee on Political Reform; and Seo Iljun, People Power Party lawmaker and opposition party secretary for the committee, held a meeting at the National Assembly on the same day and announced the agreement.

The ruling and opposition parties also agreed to expand the pilot areas for the multi-member constituency system in elections for district, city, and county council members by adding 16 more districts to the 11 parliamentary electoral districts where it was implemented in the 2022 elections, bringing the total to 27 districts.

With this agreement, the number of pilot areas for the multi-member constituency system in district, city, and county council elections will increase from the existing 11 to 27. In addition, the ratio of proportional representation members in city and provincial councils will be raised from 10% to 14% compared to district members, and each party council or regional committee will be allowed to have one office.

The multi-member constituency system is a method in which two or more members are elected from a single electoral district. It aims to lower the barriers for minor parties to enter the legislature and to ensure greater political diversity.

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