GNP leader election in disarray

Party to hold emergency meeting after court says voting rules invalid


The Grand National Party is in a state of confusion after a court unexpectedly invalidated its revised rule on its chairperson election scheduled for next Monday.

The Seoul Southern District Court upheld the claim that the party’s revised internal constitution was unlawful and suspended its legal effect on Tuesday.

The GNP revised its chairperson election rule earlier this month through a national in-party vote to increase the number of voters to 210,000 and to reflect public opinion polls in the party leader selection process.

But the meeting failed to satisfy the quorum as only 164 out of 741 members attended, with 266 absent members delegating their votes to members who were present.

“The party constitution revision has no legal force as it has violated the voting rights of the absentees,” said the court in its ruling.

The court ruling took many within the party by surprise.

Though most of the party’s leading members are former judges or prosecutors, including floor leader Hwang Woo-yea and policy committee chairman Lee Ju-young, few saw the decision coming.

The pro-Lee Myung-bak faction members, who stood against the rule revision, were also taken aback as it was the public poll revision which they had intended to eliminate.

Considering public opinion when selecting party leader was expected to act in favor of popular figures and disadvantage traditional in-party powers.

With the court ruling nullifying the election rules, the party decided to hold an emergency national meeting on Saturday to revise the rules once again, this time with the 371-member quorum

“We deeply regret that as the ruling party, we failed to revise our rules through appropriate processes,” said Rep. Chung Ui-hwa, the emergency committee chairman.

“The court ruling will greatly contribute to the development of parliamentary democracy.”

He also urged all members to participate in the upcoming conventions, on which the party’s political future depends.

The party has no plan to delay the impending national convention early next week, according to the party’s spokesperson.

“In case we fail to meet the quorum this Saturday, the revised party constitution will be put to a general vote next Monday, shortly before the chairperson election,” she said.

“A schedule delay is out of the question.”

Most of the seven candidates running for chairperson agreed that the national convention schedule should not be changed at the last minute.

But as the urgently summoned meeting is to take place on Saturday, many expressed concerns about the participation rate.

Members who were excluded from the June 7 in-party vote on election rules may boycott the vote in protest of the party’s internal processes.

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