The Democratic Party's convention is just 11 days away, and controversy over its fairness continues to escalate. Following the so-called 'war of rules,' conflicts have intensified, including counter-complaints to the Election Commission.
According to the party on August 6, Election Commission Chairman So Byeong-hoon rejected a decision the previous day regarding the posting of banners that included phrases like 'birthday-based odd-even voting strategy guide' and '100% participation of all members.'
The 'birthday-based odd-even voting strategy guide' was proposed by supporters of candidate Jung Cheong-rae and other pro-Jung candidates to increase the number of elected officials during the Supreme Council elections. This has drawn backlash from the pro-establishment faction, which claims it promotes factional politics. The '100% participation of all members' banner was promoted by pro-establishment lawmakers, and Jung has raised concerns about it being an overt attempt to favor a specific candidate. The phrase '100% participation of all members' is championed by candidate Kim Min-seok.
Additionally, various criticisms have emerged regarding the rules of this convention, particularly concerning the preferential voting system. This system determines the winner without a separate runoff, allowing the second-choice votes of the third-place candidate to be counted if the first-choice candidate does not achieve a majority in the first round.
However, there are concerns that if a candidate with a higher initial support rate is not selected through this system, it could lead to backlash from party members. Both Jung and Kim, who are currently leading in the preliminary rounds, have stated they will accept the results, but there are predictions of dissent among their supporters.
Moreover, recent candidates from the pro-establishment faction have pointed out issues with 'dark voting,' questioning the timing of voting that ends before campaigning concludes, and advocating for additional voting opportunities in line with the principle of member sovereignty.
In response, Kim appeared on YouTube's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' and stated, 'Realistically, it seems difficult to propose improvements for this election,' but expressed hope that the issue could be discussed with party members before the next convention. Candidate Song Young-gil also remarked the previous day, 'Looking back at this election process, we should be voting after seeing the campaign, but we are campaigning after the voting has ended,' acknowledging the need for improvements.
Conversely, Jung has labeled this a 'voting coup,' arguing, 'There has never been an election in any country's history like this. Asking for another voting opportunity after voting has ended is akin to a post-vote.'
In this context, Eom Gyeong-young, director of the Era Spirit Research Institute, stated in a phone interview with Aju Economy, 'Given the intensity of the convention, the outcome will likely depend on the rules. Regardless of the results, there are concerns that factional conflicts could escalate to a psychologically divisive state.'
* This article has been translated by AI.
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