Jung Chung-rae, former Democratic Party leader and a contender for the party leadership, has publicly raised concerns over the ranked-choice voting system adopted as the method for electing the party leader, saying, "It is not something that can be done in violation of the party charter and rules." While maintaining his previous position of respecting the decision of the Preparatory Committee for the National Convention, he stated that the dispute over the alleged charter and rules violation should be resolved. As pushback continued even from the pro-Jung Chung-rae faction, arguing that the ranked-choice voting system runs counter to the party charter and rules, the party leadership has entered into re-discussion.
Meeting with reporters on Monday immediately after a "Policy Debate for the Success of the Southwestern Semiconductor Cluster" held at the National Assembly, Jung said, "Yesterday I said I respect and accept the Preparatory Committee's decision, but since then there has been a dispute over a charter and rules violation, so I looked into the party charter and rules myself." He added, "When I heard about this, I thought, 'What do we do about this?'"
He continued, "Just as we cannot do something in violation of the constitution and laws, isn't it also the case that we cannot do something in violation of the party charter and rules?" He said, "I too was somewhat bewildered." He then stressed, "My position of respecting and accepting the Preparatory Committee's decision remains the same even now," while adding, "Since the dispute over a charter and rules violation could cause great confusion, I hope the Preparatory Committee and the Supreme Council will make a wise decision and resolve it well."
Earlier, criticism also followed from within the pro-Jung faction. Rep. Cho Seung-rae argued through Facebook that "the ranked-choice voting system is a violation of the party charter and rules," claiming that withdrawal or an amendment of the charter and rules must come first. At the Supreme Council meeting, Supreme Council member Lee Sung-yoon said it was "invalid as a clear violation of the party charter and rules," and Supreme Council member Moon Jung-bok also pointed out that there was potential for a charter and rules violation. On the other hand, Supreme Council member Kang Deuk-gu, who is close to former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, countered that raising suspicions targeting a specific candidate should be refrained from. The leadership held a closed-door Supreme Council meeting to continue related discussions and decided to discuss the matter again at the Preparatory Committee.
Regarding Rep. Song Young-gil's assessment that the ranked-choice voting system is a method favorable to himself, Jung said, "If he said so, isn't it a good thing if it is favorable to him?" while adding, "I do not think about advantage or disadvantage."
The Democratic Party's Preparatory Committee for the National Convention resolved the previous day to adopt the ranked-choice voting system instead of a runoff vote as the method for electing the party leader. Under the ranked-choice voting system, voters mark their first, second, and third choices among the candidates. If a candidate wins a majority in the first count, the election is confirmed. If no candidate wins a majority, the lowest-ranked candidate is eliminated and that candidate's votes are redistributed to voters' second-choice candidates, determining the final winner without a separate runoff vote.
