A push by the People Power Party leadership to introduce direct elections for local district chairs has stalled for now amid strong opposition both inside and outside the party. The setback to the "member-centered party" vision put forward by Chairman Chang Dong-hyeok, who is approaching the first anniversary of taking office, has fueled assessments that his hold over the party is weakening.
Park Sung-hoon, the party's chief spokesperson, said on the 24th that "the agenda item on direct elections for district chairs was not placed before the Supreme Council," adding that "with some continuing to distort the sincerity of the effort, there was a judgment that it was too early to reach a conclusion today."
The "distortion" Park referred to is understood to target suspicions in some quarters that Chang was seeking a sweeping overhaul of local organizations to strengthen his grip on the party. On top of that, a number of lawmakers, including Floor Leader Jeong Jeom-sik, pushed back, arguing that putting all district chapters nationwide up for competitive elections at once would inevitably cause severe confusion. With a consensus against direct elections effectively forming at a general meeting of lawmakers, the leadership appears to face a heavier burden in pressing ahead.
A shift was also detected within the Supreme Council. Supreme Council member Yang Hyang-ja proposed that day that the direct election plan be decided by unanimous agreement among council members. She also suggested introducing public participation in the district chair elections and reviewing a separate reselection method for chapters currently led by sitting lawmakers.
Still, the discussion is not returning to square one. Park said, "We have not reached a final conclusion, but this is not a stage where direct elections are being reconsidered." With the council set to take up the item again at its meeting on the 27th of this month, the possibility of pushing through the direct election system remains.
If the attempt is blocked, a blow to the leadership of Chang, who marks his first anniversary in office on the 26th of this month, appears unavoidable. With a party reform package due to be announced, the momentum behind his "member-centered" overhaul could also weaken. In particular, senior lawmakers with four or more terms are set to meet on the 26th, the day before the next council meeting, to discuss both the direct election issue and Chang's position, meaning his political standing is expected to face another test.
