Han Dong-hoon, interim leader of the ruling People Power Party, attends a welcoming ceremony for new party members at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

With less than 50 days left before the general elections, the ruling People Power Party's (PPP) candidate nomination process appears to be sailing smoothly – at least on the surface.

Things are relatively quiet compared to its rival, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), where lawmakers are vehemently protesting their elimination, viewing the decision as sidelining members who do not align with party leadership.

As of Thursday, the PPP has finalized the nomination of candidates for over 100 constituencies out of the total 253 nationwide, with candidates shortlisted for the party's primary in approximately 60 constituencies.

So far, only two PPP lawmakers – Rep. Choi Young-hee and Rep. Seo Jeong-sook – have been excluded from nomination, meaning they do not have the chance to run in primaries. Both were proportional representation lawmakers.

None of the lawmakers representing their constituencies have been disqualified.

The party's candidate nomination committee previously announced that, following a transparent and fair system, seven incumbent lawmakers representing constituencies ranking in the bottom 10 percent in terms of legislative performance would be removed. However, the committee has not yet released the list of those to be eliminated.

Pundits said that the conservative party appears to be adopting a soft stance toward incumbent lawmakers, in contrast to previous elections where over a dozen lawmakers were excluded from nomination lists. This shift apparently aims to avoid internal discord that could potentially result in members leaving the party.

"It appears that the party is postponing the inevitable," said political commentator Rhee Jong-hoon.

"By delaying the official announcement of the cut-off list and allowing almost every incumbent lawmaker to participate in internal primaries, they are trying to minimize internal conflicts for now and prevent members from quitting and leaving the Reform Party," Rhee said.

"Not all incumbent lawmakers will succeed in the primaries, but even if they fail to make the cut, it will be too late for them to leave the party at that point," he added.

Under election laws, it is illegal for a candidate who lost in the party's primary to run in the same constituency on another party's ticket or as an independent candidate.

Lawmakers watch the voting outcome of a bill on a special counsel investigation into first lady Kim Keon Hee during a National Assembly plenary session in Yeouido, Seoul, Dec. 28, 2023. Yonhap

Speculation is emerging that the PPP's lenient approach toward incumbents is in line with the party's objective to obstruct the approval of two opposition-led special investigation proposals, scheduled for a revote during a plenary session on Feb. 29.

Of them, one proposal seeks to launch a probe into first lady Kim Keon Hee's alleged involvement in stock price manipulation, while the other addresses allegations about six influential figures in the so-called "5 billion club" linked to a corruption-ridden development project in the Daejang-dong, Seongnam in Gyeonggi Province.

Although the bills were initially passed at the opposition-controlled Assembly on Dec. 28, President Yoon Suk Yeol vetoed them a week later.

For the Assembly to pass these bills during the revote, over half of the total 298 members must be physically present, and two-thirds of the total must vote in favor. If passed, the president cannot veto the bills again.

In such circumstances, uniting under a "one-team spirit" to oppose the bills is crucial for the PPP.

"The PPP's nominations without any reforms seem relevant to the special investigation bill into first lady Kim Keon Hee. It seems that the PPP chose to cohabit with corrupt power, fearing the emergence of dissenting votes in the upcoming parliamentary vote on the bills," the Reform Party, led by former PPP head Lee Jun-seok, said in a statement, Wednesday.

The PPP refuted criticism about the lack of reform in its nomination process, saying that it is still in the works.

"It is premature to criticize the lack of reform as primaries have not concluded," said Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok, who heads the party's nomination committee, Thursday.