(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Jeong-hyun, Jo-daun, and Lee Yu-lip = On the 20th, the leadership of the People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk attempted to introduce a plan to have all party council chairs resign en masse ahead of the expiration of their terms at the end of this month and then re-elect them through a vote of party members, but the decision was put on hold as there were signs of conflict within the party, such as strong opposition from active members.
Initially, the leadership tried to decide on the agenda at the Supreme Council meeting that day, but a heated debate broke out, and public opposition erupted at two general meetings of lawmakers in the morning and afternoon, so the reconvened Supreme Council took a step back.
The leadership decided to hold another general meeting on the 21st to collect opinions from lawmakers, share the results with the highest level, and discuss it again at the next highest level.
Senior spokesperson Kim Tae-gyu met with reporters after the general meeting, which ended past 7 p.m. on this day, and said, "With 30 to 40 lawmakers in attendance, many opinions were expressed, and opposing opinions prevailed. This is a very important issue within our party, and because we thought it could cause conflict in some cases, we decided to hold another general meeting tomorrow."
Accordingly, the People Power Party postponed its original schedule of visiting the second general special prosecutor's office in Gwacheon on the morning of the 20th to protest and condemn the indictment of its own party lawmakers. As the general meeting was prolonged on this day, a meeting of senior four-term lawmakers that was supposed to discuss the party's path and the issue of CEO Jang's future could not be held.
When asked, "Will there be a vote at tomorrow's general meeting?" Kim, the senior floor spokesperson, responded, "It seems difficult to say for sure. There may be doubts about whether the nature of the agenda itself is something that will be voted on. Even if it is not necessarily a vote, isn't there a need to convey the atmosphere of the general meeting to the highest level and use it as a reference?"
Previously, at a closed general meeting this morning, it was reported that some lawmakers raised issues such as 'this is unprecedented' and 'isn't the re-election of the chairman of the party council not something that can be decided arbitrarily at the highest level, but opinions should be collected at the general meeting?'
Then, at a closed general meeting held in the afternoon, voices of concern poured in in earnest. It is said that the lawmakers who expressed opposition were mainly concerned that 'if party members vote for all party council chairpersons in a virtual primary, it could lead to conflict within the party.' In particular, some lawmakers are said to have even commented, "Is it advisable to do this considering only the general election?" and "The idea of a party centered around party members is a fiction."
However, Shin Dong-wook, a top member of the party's faction, met with reporters outside the chairman's office and expressed his support, saying, "The party leader is giving up his limited authority. Isn't it a vote to vote for the person who can appoint the chairman of the party council (as in the past)?" There is also an atmosphere of welcoming the decision to re-elect the chairman of the party council through the introduction of party member voting among those who have rough areas in the metropolitan area as their constituencies and those outside the party who want to compete with incumbent lawmakers.
Prior to this, at the highest level meeting held privately in the morning, a heated debate continued for over an hour between the leadership.
Representative Jang and the party's faction claimed that 'a plan to have party members vote in the form of a virtual primary should be introduced for all 254 party council chairs,' and it was reported that they planned to decide on the agenda after confirming the pros and cons and abstentions of individual top committee members.
However, it is said that floor leader Jeong Jeong-sik and some non-party top members raised concerns that 'buying all the party cooperatives at once, turning them into a party cooperative, and re-electing them through a vote of party members is unprecedented and may cause procedural problems.'
As concerns continued at the general meeting, there was no disagreement at the second highest level meeting held at 6 p.m., and an agreement was reached to discuss the matter again at the next highest level meeting after the general meeting.
However, there are still observations that the agenda may ultimately be passed at the highest level next week depending on the will of Representative Jang and others. This is because, among the Supreme Council members with voting rights, the consensus was generally in favor of this plan, except for floor leader Jeong and Supreme Youth Council member Woo Jae-jun.
Chief Spokesperson Choi Bo-yoon met with reporters after the second Supreme Council meeting and said, "When the results of the general meeting are shared with the Supreme Council in the future, the Supreme Council members will deliberate and continue the discussion to the next Supreme Council."
A party official also told Yonhap News, "The decision was put on hold within the leadership, including CEO Jang, with the intention of saying, 'In fact, the conclusion has been decided, so we just have to watch the results of the general meeting of lawmakers and make a conclusion at the next highest level.'" He added, "It will not take long to reach a conclusion because the term ends at the end of this month."
