GNP’s Embarrassing Loss in Local Elections

GNP’s Embarrassing Loss in Local Elections Parts of President’s major national agenda might hang in the balance

The ruling Grand National Party (GNP) suffered a defeat in the June 2 local elections as it garnered only six of the 16 metropolitan and gubernatorial posts against the main opposition Democratic Party (DP)’s seven, Liberty Forward Party (LFP)’s one and two independents.
Taking responsibility for the defeat, GNP Chairman Chung Mong-joon and other leaders have stepped down and President Lee Myung-bak’s chief of staff Chung Chung-kil has also tendered his resignation.
The government and the ruling party were apparently shocked about the humiliating election results since they thought the GNP would win, as shown by many pre-election opinion polls and President Lee’s approval rating, which hovered around 50 percent.
Some of President Lee’s major agenda items, including a planned downscaling of a plan to relocate all government ministries to Yeongi near Daejeon, might be stuck in limbo in the wake of his party’s loss.
The GNP and Cheong Wa Dae said they will humbly accept the results of the local elections, citing the cause of their loss as a lack of communication with the people. Presidential chief of staff Chung offered to step down to take responsibility on behalf of other presidential aides, heralding a possible massive reshuffle of top officials around the president. Chung said his party did its best, but “failed to read the people’s minds” during a meeting of senior GNP members as he announced his resignation.
Chairman Chung Se-kyun of the main opposition DP has signaled an offensive against the government’s mega projects, including the Four Rivers Restoration Project, saying his party is demanding a sweeping reshuffle of top government seats in and around Cheong Wa Dae.
Despite the ruling party’s overall defeat, the GNP and the government have apparently breathed a sigh of relief with the incumbents’ reelection in the nation’s top three major metropolitan and gubernatorial seats ― Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Gyeonggi Gov. Kim Moon-soo and Busan Mayor Hur Nam-sik. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon of the GNP was reelected over his DP rival, former prime minister Han Myung-sook in the Roh Moo-hyun government, by a razor-thin margin, whereas Gyeonggi Gov. Kim Moon-soo won re-election by beating Rhyu Si-min, also former president Roh’s confidant.
The DP captured the metropolitan mayoral and gubernatorial posts in Incheon, Gwangju, Gangwon-do, Chungcheongbuk-do, Chungcheongnam-do, Jeollabuk-do and Jeollanam-do. The GNP grabbed six victories in Seoul, Gyeonggi, Busan, Daegu, Ulsan and Gyeongsangbuk-do. The conservative minority Liberty Forward Party captured the Daejeon mayor’s office, while independent candidates won Gyeongsangnam-do and Jeju.
The DP seemed euphoric over the unexpected victory in the local elections, the first one following three consecutive losses; the 2006 local elections, the 2007 presidential election and the 2008 general polls.
In the elections of heads of lower-level local government seats, the DP won 92 posts against the GNP’s 82, LFP’s 13, Democratic Labor Party’s three and 38 others. In the elections of metropolitan city council and provincial council members, the DP swept with 328 seats against the GNP’s 252, LFP’s 38, DLP’s 13 and 44 others. Whereas, the GNP won 36 proportional representatives against the DP’s 32, DLP’s six, LFP’s three and four others.
The DP called the local polls a mid-term evaluation of President Lee Myung-bak’s government.
The latest local polls indicated that many conservative voters voted for the ruling party against major opposition parties’ too-lenient policies toward North Korea. The opposition parties are keeping in line with former president Kim Dae-jung’s sun-shine policy, whereas more younger generation voters, accounting for a larger portion than those in the elder generations, tended to show a backlash against the government’s attempt to win over voters by making the most of the sinking of South Korean Navy ship Cheonan, blamed on a torpedo attack by North Korea. nw

Gyeonggi Gov. Kim Moon-soo

Busan Mayor Hur Nam-sik