Subscribe
E-Paper
 |
Ruling party loses majority; Minjoo, People's parties win more seats than expected
By Kang Seung-woo
The ruling Saenuri Party lost its parliamentary majority following Wednesday's general election, which will be a major blow to President Park Geun-hye.
The ruling party won 105 out of 253 electoral seats in the 300-seat National Assembly as their candidates struggled in Seoul and its surrounding areas, where 122 seats were up for grabs.
The main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) secured 110 seats, while the minor opposition People's Party took 25 seats.
Including the number of the proportional representation seats, the Saenuri only took 122 seats and was demoted to the No. 2 party behind the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) with 123. The People's Party captured 38 Assembly posts.
This is the first time in 16 years for the ruling party to lose a majority.
.jpg/dims/resize/740/optimize) |
| The joint chief of the ruling Saenuri Party's election campaign, Kang Bong-kyun, left, and the party's floor leader Rep. Won Yoo-chul show frustration along with other senior members after learning the results of exit polls at the party's offices in Yeoudio, Seoul, Wednesday. / Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-geun |
The Saenuri Party's failure to win more than a majority in the Assembly is largely due to negative public sentiment over its nasty power struggle in the candidate nomination process, analysts said.
In addition, it was seen as the public's judgment on the Park Geun-hye administration's dealing with state affairs, delivering a hard blow to the President who is seeking to tighten her grip on state affairs during her remaining term in office so as to push various economic and social reforms.
"The Saenuri Party's defeat is a warning message from voters who were frustrated by its nasty nomination fracas. In addition, with President Park in the latter part of her term in office, supporters of the ruling party were less united than in the 2012 election," said Yoo Yong-hwa, a political analyst.
Following the defeat, the ruling party is expected to see a power struggle between those loyal to the President and non-mainstreamers ahead of next year's presidential election.
 |
| The main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea's (MPK) campaign chief Kim Chong-in, left, applauds along with Choi Woon-youl, a senior member of the MPK's campaign staff, after they learned from exit polls that the party would secure well above its goal of 107 seats in the general election, Wednesday. / Yonhap |
For the MPK, the better-than-expected result could save interim leader Kim Chong-in, but it is a bitter pill to swallow that the party lost its hegemony in North and South Jeolla provinces (known colloquially as the Honam region) to the People's Party.
The solid showing by the People's Party, including a resounding victory in Honam, could help Co-Chairman Ahn Cheol-soo gain power and influence before the next presidential election as a significant stakeholder in a three-party system.
Also, the result will make the party the undisputed third presence on the political landscape.
Voters cast their ballots at 13,837 polling stations across the nation to elect the 20th National Assembly ― 253 directly contested seats and 47 proportional representation seats to be allocated to parties in accordance with the total number of votes they receive.
In Seoul's Jongno district, one of the most ferocious contests in the election, the MPK's Chung Sye-kyun beat former Seoul Mayor Oh Sei-hoon for his sixth parliamentary term, while Ahn also won over Lee Jun-seok, a political rookie from the Saenuri Party, in his Nowon-C constituency.
Kim Boo-kyum made history in the constituency of Suseong-A, Daegu, becoming the first opposition Assemblyman there in 31 years.
Kim defeated former Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Moon-soo of the Saenuri Party by a large margin.
Although the Saenuri Party failed to lived up to expectations, it saw a silver lining in that Rep. Lee Jung-hyun, a former chief presidential press secretary, retained his Assembly post in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province against former Suncheon Mayor Roh Kwan-kyu.
 |
| Minor Opposition People's Party co-chairman Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo raises both hands in celebration of his victory for a second National Assembly term in Seoul Nowon-B, Wednesday. With the victory, he emerged as a strong candidate for the 2017 presidential election. / Yonhap |
Among notable candidates, independent Yoo Seong-min, a former Saenuri floor leader, had a landslide victory in Daegu's Dong-B precinct and Hong Ui-rak, another independent candidate, captured his first parliamentary post in the Buk-B district of Daegu over a Saenuri Party candidate.
Political rookie Pyo Chang-won of the MPK, a former criminal profiler, also won in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, and former Home Affair Minister Chong Jong-sup was also victorious over incumbent lawmaker Yoo Sung-kull in Daegu's Dong-A district.
Roh Hoe-chan of the Justice Party won in the Changwon-Seongsan district, South Gyeongsang Province to capture his third Assembly term.
According to the National Election Commission (NEC), about 42.1 million people were eligible to vote in 253 constituencies; 24.43 million cast their ballots, a turnout of 58 percent.
The average voter turnout in the past three general elections was 53.6 percent and this year's figure is higher than that of the previous election in 2012 ― 54.2 percent.
Given that the nation recorded its highest voter turnout in early voting of 12.19 percent, which took place Friday and Saturday, the election watchdog expects the final figure to top 60 percent.
"The long delay in fixing the new electoral map and each political party's nomination debacle seem to have adversely affected the turnout," an NEC official said.
By region, South Jeolla Province saw the highest turnout at 63.7 percent, followed by Sejong and North Jeolla Province with 63.5 percent and 62.9 percent, respectively.
However, Busan and Daegu, both of which are strongholds for the ruling party, recorded the two lowest records at 55.4 percent and 54.8 percent, respectively.
Busan also had the lowest turnout in last week's early voting at 9.83 percent.
Seoul managed to surpass the national average with 59.8 percent, but Gyeonggi Province saw a lower turnout at 57.5 percent.
