The People Power Party will select district organizing chiefs in nine of 36 local chapters without a sitting chairman through votes by registered party members. It is the first application of the direct member voting system introduced under party leader Jang Dong-hyuk.
Chung Hee-yong, the party's secretary-general who chairs the Special Committee on Organizational Strengthening, announced the decision at a briefing after a meeting at the party's central headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 28th.
An organizing chief forms a chapter steering committee and then goes through the process of being elected chapter chairman, a post that leads the local organization in national elections such as general elections and in party conventions.
"The committee conducted document and interview screenings of applicants and listened to local opinion, reviewing party identity, candidate competitiveness and contributions to the party in a comprehensive manner," Chung said. "We decided to hold primaries in nine districts where multiple candidates are competing and where we judged it necessary to determine the organizing chief through the will of registered members in the area."
The districts and candidates are: Dongdaemun-A in Seoul, Lee Jong-bae and Lee Pil-hyung; Seongbuk-B in Seoul, Min Byung-woong and Lee Jin-soo; Gwanak-A in Seoul, Kim Sook-hyang and Ha Jong-dae; Seo-B in Incheon, Kim Yu-gon and Shin Sung-young; Namyangju-B in Gyeonggi Province, Kim Hee-sung and Baek Sun-ah; Yongin-A in Gyeonggi Province, Yang Hyang-ja, Yoon Jae-bok and Lee Dong-seob; Anseong in Gyeonggi Province, Kim Eui-beom and Chun Dong-hyun; Cheongju Seowon in North Chungcheong Province, Son In-seok and Yoon Hee-keun; and Wanju-Jinan-Muju in Jeonbuk State, Kim Soon-jung and Lee In-sook.
In Yongin-A, Supreme Council member Yang Hyang-ja, a member of the current leadership, will compete against former lawmaker Lee Dong-seob and candidate Yoon Jae-bok. It is the only three-way race among the nine primary districts. Candidate registration and campaigning will run from the 1st of next month, followed by a vote on the 6th using an automated response system by mobile phone, open to all registered members in each district.
The candidate with the most votes will be designated as the organizing chief. In districts with three or more candidates, if the leading candidate falls short of 50% of the vote, a runoff between the top two candidates will be held on the 8th. The committee also selected districts where a single organizing chief will be recommended without a primary. "For the single-candidate districts, we will submit the matter to the Supreme Council meeting on Oct. 1 and announce the results once they are confirmed and approved," Chung said.
In Gangneung, Gangwon State, where a parliamentary by-election is scheduled for April next year, the process of selecting a chapter chairman has been suspended. Instead of appointing an organizing chief, the party plans to move quickly on nomination procedures to choose a by-election candidate.
