DP sticks to current proportional representation system for April elections

The majority Democratic Party decided to maintain the current "semi-mixed-member" proportional representation system for the April 10 general elections.

Democratic Party Chairman Lee Jae-myung, center, speaks on the proportional representation system during a press conference at the May 18 National Cemetery in Gwangju on Monday. [YONHAP]

The majority Democratic Party decided to maintain the current "semi-mixed-member" proportional representation system for the April 10 general elections.

DP Chairman Lee Jae-myung told reporters in Gwangju on Monday that although this system is "imperfect, it is a valuable step forward."

He also indicated the DP plans to form satellite parties ahead of the parliamentary elections, promising a liberal coalition to lead his party to victory.

Before the previous general elections in 2020, the two main rival parties adopted the new "semi-mixed-member proportional representation" system to help minor parties boost their presence in the parliament through better seat distribution.

However, the major parties have been accused of taking advantage of this system by allowing some of their lawmakers to defect from the party to create new temporary satellite parties, which later rejoined their original parties. This was seen as a means to gain a few extra proportional representation seats for both sides in the National Assembly.

The conservative People Power Party (PPP) has called for a return to a parallel representation system or mixed-member majoritarian system.

The DP, which currently holds a parliamentary majority, ultimately left the decision to its chief. The 300-seat National Assembly presently has 47 proportional seats.

"We will not return to the past, but find a path to victory within the current system," Lee said in a press conference after he visited the May 18th National Cemetery to pay respects to the victims of the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju Monday morning.

The remarks were seen as Lee, who had taken the lead in reforming the electoral system, effectively declaring he plans to stick to the semi-mixed-member proportional representation system.

Lee, in turn, accused the PPP of already forming satellite parties and said the DP would respond to any "foul play" by using the current system.

As the DP's presidential candidate in February 2022, Lee called for a ban on satellite political parties that "distort the proportional representation system" as a part of his campaign pledge on political reform.

However, the upcoming general elections are the first to be held since Lee became DP chief, and if his party fails to win at least 151 seats, he could suffer a significant blow to his leadership.

"The parallel system eases regionalism and is advantageous to the DP, but it harms minority parties," Lee told reporters. "I apologize for being unable to legislate a ban on satellite political parties as promised."

Han Dong-hoon, the People Power Party’s interim leader, speaks during an emergency steering committee meeting at his party’s headquarters in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Monday. [NEWS1]

Han Dong-hoon, the PPP's interim leader, criticized the DP chief's decision to maintain a semi-mixed-member proportional representation system during an emergency steering committee meeting later Monday.

"This is a situation where the electoral system depends not on a political party but on the mind of a single person," Han said. "I want to ask the DP if this is democracy."

Han said that the overly complicated current system "doesn't have a plausible reason behind its seat distribution," which "confuses voters" and "fails to reflect the voters' decisions directly."

He accused the DP of condoning "gerrymandering that suits Rep. Lee's tastes," saying it is "truly incomprehensible" that the election system that will greatly affect 50 million people "is decided based on the whim of one person, Lee Jae-myung."

The DP and minor progressive Justice Party introduced the electoral reform bill in the National Assembly in December 2019 ahead of the 2020 general elections. The bill linked parliamentary seats to the percentage of voters' support for parties. The move was supposed to prevent a monopoly by the two major parties and work favorably for minor parties by allocating a certain number of seats to their lawmakers.

Han claimed that Lee had "tricked" everyone into thinking he favored returning to the previous parallel system, noting the change in the DP chairman's stance on proportional representation over the past four years.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]