[Editorial] New political force

Ahn Cheol-soo, who has been pushed out of the political limelight since he bowed out of the presidential race one year ago, is coming back to center stage, this time with a plan to organize his supporters into a political party and, by doing so, change the nation’s virtual two-party system.

Last Friday, the independent lawmaker said he would unveil his schedule for organizing a new political force at a news conference on Thursday. He may not officially declare the creation of a new party. What is certain, however, is that his party is not far off.

With gubernatorial and other local elections scheduled for June, it is about time for him to prepare to build his nationwide power base, if he desires to make a bid for the presidency again. Few events would better demonstrate his political leadership to the electorate than his party’s strong showing in the elections.

The first thing he did for his political comeback after the December presidential election was to get himself elected to the National Assembly in an April by-election. Then he launched a political think tank. As an independent and first-term lawmaker with no stable power base, however, he could not make his presence felt in the National Assembly.

Yet, it must have been a solace to him to find he was still well received by the electorate. According to a survey conducted by the pollster Mono Research on Nov. 18, Ahn’s party, which had yet to be set up, won the second highest approval rating, 23.5 percent, after the ruling Saenuri Party with 47.3 percent. The main opposition Democratic Party was the distant third, with a mere 13.7 percent.

True, the approval rating was well below his peak standing during the presidential campaign last year. He once was neck and neck with President Park Geun-hye in opinion polls. Still, the approval rating for Ahn’s party was nothing less than impressive, given that the survey was conducted before Ahn announced that he was starting the process of establishing a new party.

Ahn has a long way to go. First of all, he will have to decide where his party will stand on the ideological spectrum. Not so much is known about it, except that his think tank once said that his would be a center-left, progressive, liberal party. He added that labor would be an important issue for his party but that it would not be labor-centered.

He will also have to decide whom to tap as key members of the party. He may have to turn to civic groups and academic communities for many recruits. He may also invite some of the former lawmakers that were denied nominations by the two established parties for one reason or another in 2012 despite their competence as politicians.

No matter what he does, he needs to create a party that is appealing to voters, many of whom are disillusioned with politics as usual and searching for an alternative party. Nothing else would be of much help in fulfilling his political ambitions.