The ruling Grand National Party announced Wednesday that it plans to merge with the minor Future Hope Alliance in a bid to raise conservatives' chances in the parliamentary elections in April.

Rep. Kwon Young-se, the GNP's secretary general, said the two parties reached an agreement to unite and register with the National Election Commission under a new name on Thursday.

The merger comes as liberal forces are in talks to forge an alliance for the April election to avoid vote-splitting in key districts, which could also affect the presidential race in December.

It marks the first time in two decades that Korea will select a new parliament and a new leader in the same year.

The minor conservative party was established months before the 2008 general elections by former GNP lawmakers, who left their own party after failing to receive nominations in their electorates. 

Most of the members supported Rep. Park Geun-hye, who lost to President Lee Myung-bak in the party's 2007 primary to select a presidential candidate.

After being elected under the party affiliation of the novice party, six members of the then Pro-Park Geun-hye Alliance returned to the GNP.

The FHA currently has eight lawmakers, all of them proportional representatives.

If merged, the ruling party's total number of seats will increase to 174 in the 299-member unicameral parliament. (Yonhap News)