Rep. Park Geun-hye, chairwoman of the ruling Saenuri Party’s emergency leadership council, declared on Tuesday that she will not run in the upcoming general elections.

The decision by the presidential hopeful is expected to further press other senior lawmakers to give up their candidacy in their constituencies.

“I have been seeking for ways to contribute to the party as the interim leader in these times of trouble,” said Park.

She thus will not run in her longtime constituency in Daegu in the April 11 general elections.

“It was a difficult decision to make as Daegu is not only my hometown but my political home,” she said.

“However, residents in my constituency urged me to see beyond the local district so I decided to dedicate myself to the people and the country in general.”

The conservative leader paid a visit to the city on Monday to talk to regional committee members and local merchants.

However, she left open the possibility of joining the parliament as a proportional representative.

“I shall discuss the matter with party officials first,” she said.

Park’s decision to run in the April race is expected to push other senior party members, especially her closest aides, to follow suit.

The party decided last month to rule out at least 25 percent of its current lawmakers from the election nomination, in an attempt to introduce new figures and renew the party’s public image.

“Now is time for high-ranking lawmakers to follow the party’s renewal direction and sacrifice their aspired candidacy, or the party will experience difficulty in achieving reforms,” said a pro-Park official.

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)