새정치민주연합은 10일 당원투표 및 여론조사 결과에 따라 6월4일 지방선거에서 공천을 실시하기로 했다고 밝혔다.
그간 무공천을 주장해온 새정치연합은 당내 강경파를 중으로 한 논란을 잠재우고자 수요일 권리당원 투표 및 일반국민을 대상으로 한 여론조사를 실시했다.
(연합)
그 결과, 투표를 한 당원의 57 퍼센트가 공천을 지지하고, 여론조사 응답자중 49퍼센트가 공천을 해야 한다고 답했다. 당원의 42 퍼센트만 무공천정책을 지지한 반면 여론조사 응답자중 49퍼센트가 무공천을 유지해야 한다고 답했다.
안철수 공동대표는 공략을 지키지 못한 것에 대해 송구스럽다면서도 “이번 조사에서 나타난 당원의 뜻은 일단 선거에서 이겨 정부여당을 견제할 힘부터 가지라는 명령이라고 생각한다”며 지방선거 승리를 위해 앞장서겠다고 밝혔다.
안대표는 또 “이번 선거, 참으로 어려운 선거가 될 것이다. 제가 앞장서서 최선을 다해 선거를 치르겠다”며 새정치민주연합 당원들의 집결을 요청했다.
김한길 공동대표도 더 논란이 매듭지어진 만큼 더 이상의 당내 갈등은 없어야 할 것이라고 당부했다.
한편 새누리당은 새정치 포기라면 새정치민주연합과 안철수 공동대표를 맹비난했다.
박대출 새누리당 대변인은 “오늘로 새 정치는 완전히 땅에 묻혔다. 더는 새 정치라는 이름으로 국민을 기만하지 말아야 한다”고 비판했다.
박 대변인은 안 대표에 대해 “지금까지 국민과 당원의 뜻을 무시하고 혼자서 독불장군식으로 정치판을 어지럽게 만든 데 대해 대국민 사과를 비롯한 책임을 져야 한다”고 요구했다.
(코리아헤럴드 최희석 기자 cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)
<관련 영문 기사>
Main opposition flip-flops The main opposition party said Thursday it would nominate candidates for the June 4 local elections, overturning its much-repeated pledge and undermining a major element of its founding principles.
The fledgling main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, formed by the former Democratic Party and Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, said Thursday that nominations would be made in compliance with the party vote and opinion poll results.
Faced with resistance from within the party and with the ruling Saenuri Party and Cheong Wa Dae unwilling to negotiate, the NPAD put it to a vote on Wednesday.
In the opinion poll, 50 percent of respondents opposed nominating candidates while 49 percent said the system should be maintained. In the party vote, 57 percent supported the system and 42 percent opposed nominations. On average, over 53 percent said nominations should be made.
“I believe that the result (of the poll) is the party members’ command to win (in the local elections) to gain the power to keep the administration in check,” Ahn said, saying that his opinion cannot carry the same weight as the prevailing opinion among the party members.
“The elections will be difficult, and I will take the lead. If we are unable to achieve transformation through reform and innovation, a regime change will be even more far off.”
NPAD cochairman Rep. Kim Han-gil echoed Ahn in apologizing for the developments, and added that the party would now come together under the goal of winning in the local elections.
“We have no reason not to unite. Unity is a requirement for victory, while division is sufficient cause for defeat,” Kim said.
The ruling Saenuri Party immediately opened fire on the NPAD and Ahn.
“Today, new politics has been completely buried. (The NPAD) should not deceive the public further in the name of new politics,” Saenuri Party spokesman Rep. Park Dae-chul said.
“(Ahn) should take responsibility and apologize for stirring up the political arena by bulldozing ahead against the will of the people and party members.”
With the candidate nomination system controlled by the central party and fueling corrupt practices in the candidacy process, President Park Geun-hye made abolishing the system one of her main political reform pledges.
However, the Saenuri Party backtracked early on, claiming that abolishing the system may be unconstitutional, despite having forgone nominations in the by-elections in April last year.
Although the NPAD, and the DP before it, had maintained that the system should be abolished, the new party’s leadership faced strong resistance from party hard-liners who argued that going ahead with the plans would be detrimental in the upcoming elections.
While the party’s new path falls in line with hard-liners’ demands, experts say that Thursday’s developments would have mixed results.
“There will be two effects. The party will now be able to conduct a systematic election campaign, and it will also prevent (votes from being) spread among opposition candidates. This is the positive (effect),” said Yoon Hee-woong, Min Consulting’s head of public opinion research.
“But the framework of ‘lies and promises’ the opposition built will weaken. In addition, the damage dealt to the status of Ahn, who needs to lead the party in the local elections, will also have a negative impact.”
In promoting its cause, the NPAD attempted to depict the June 4 elections as a battle between promise keepers and breakers, describing the ruling party and the administration as a “force that breaks promises.”
Others paint a grimmer picture for Ahn. Professor Shin Yul of Myongji University projects that Ahn’s political career is likely to sustain irreparable damage as he has essentially overturned his ideals of new politics.
Shin also says that the main opposition is unlikely to benefit significantly from the development, and that nominating candidates will not raise the NPAD’s ratings.
A Gallup Korea poll for the first week of April showed 27 percent of voters supporting the NPAD. In comparison, the figure for the ruling party stood at 43 percent.
By Choi He-suk (
cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)
