Four of five by-election seats hang in balance

The country`s two major political parties are neck and neck in four of the five constituencies up for grabs in tomorrow`s parliamentary by-elections.

Voters` sentiment seemed to be changing from moment to moment, as the leaders of the ruling Grand National Party and the main opposition Democratic Party as well as other minor opposition parties campaign for votes.

"This election is a fight against unilateralism and it is for checks and balance. Voters are to decide whether they will evaluate the current administration and have a restraining influence against it by supporting the opposition or just accepting (the government`s) ongoing activity," DP Chairman Chung Sye-kyun said in a letter to voters.

The GNP, on the other hand, claimed it was the governing party who had the power to work for constituents.

"We`re committing ourselves to the upcoming by-elections with the attitude that it is the ruling party which can provide real solutions to regional issues and open up to the public`s voice," said GNP secretary general Chang Kwang-keun.



The five contested constituencies are Yangsan of South Gyeongsang Province, Jangan in Suwon and Sangrok in Ansan, both of Gyeonggi Province, Eumseong of North Chungcheong Province and Gangneung of Gangwon Province.

Both the ruling and opposition parties are expecting to win up to three seats, but the only constituency with a clear frontrunner is Gangneung, where GNP candidate Kwon Seong-dong has been consistently ahead in the polls.

The election outcome in Ansan has become more difficult to predict after the DP and three other minor progressive parties failed to unite behind a single candidate.

The race in Yangsan of South Gyeongsang Province, a traditional stronghold for the conservative GNP, is also far from certain. Voters are split between supporters of President Lee Myung-bak and admirers of the late President Roh Moo-hyun. Although the GNP`s candidate Park Hee-tae, a former party chairman, is expected to win the seat, Roh`s former political assistant Song In-bae is cutting into his lead.

"Even if we don`t win the race, our goal is to be placed second, reducing the gap between Song and Park as much as possible," said a DP official.

The situation is not clearing up in Eumseong either, as candidates from both ruling and opposition parties are natives of the areas included in the constituency.

The ultimate victory in the by-elections, however, will go to the winner of the parliamentary race in Jangan of Suwon, according to pundits.

The results are currently unpredictable. The GNP`s candidate Park Chan-sook, who is a former broadcaster, had enjoyed a clear lead in early opinion polls. But DP`s candidate Lee Chan-ryul has caught up in recent days, after gaining support from chief campaigner Sohn Hak-kyu, former leader of the United New Democratic Party, the predecessor of the DP.

Sohn, who served as Gyeonggi governor from 2002-2006, went as far as leasing an apartment in the area to actively take part in the election campaign. He is spending up to 20 hours a day canvassing the neighborhood and asking for residents` support.

GNP Chairman Chung Mong-joon, joined by the GNP`s candidate Park, also visited three different traditional markets located throughout Jangan to plead for votes yesterday.

Many residents, however, said they were still undecided, with many saying the last two days would have immense impact on their final ballots.

"I`m still half and half. Their election pledges are full of overstatement. (Those promises) will be left unkept a lot of the time," said Lee Ho-tae, a taxi driver who is a resident of Jangan.

A woman in her late 30s, who owns a fruit and vegetable stand in Pajang traditional market, also said the candidates should focus more on letting voters know who they are, instead of merely stressing which political party they are affiliated with.

"The older seniors may be purely on the ruling party`s side, but the younger ones don`t make their decision depending on the color of parties. The results will differ depending on how many younger people cast their ballots," she said.

The National Election Commission is projecting that the voting rate will average in the low 40-percent range for the by-elections. The votes will be collected from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. tomorrow.

(sharon@heraldm.com)



By Cho Ji-hyun