Ahn Cheol-soo, a former opposition leader and presidential candidate, is considering running in the June Seoul mayoral election, multiple sources said Thursday, adding uncertainty to the increasingly crowded race.
Ahn of the minor Bareunmirae Party plans to announce whether he will join the race early next week, the sources said, as his party struggles with a dearth of capable candidates to take on competitors from rival parties in the local elections.
"I understand that Ahn has said (to party officials) that he is weighing the option of running in the election," a senior party official told Yonhap News Agency, declining to be named.
"If there isn't any (capable) figure to field in the election, there may be the possibility of him throwing his hat into the ring," he added.
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Ahn Cheol-soo (right), a senior member of the minor Bareunmirae Party, speaks during a party meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul on Wednesday. (Yonhap) |
Ahn currently serves as the nascent party's candidate recruitment chief for the June mayoral and gubernatorial elections. He took over the job on March 16, returning to the center of party affairs after a one-month respite following the launch of the centrist party.
His return came as the party, which was created through a merger between the center-left People's Party and the center-right Bareun Party, was grappling with a set of challenges, such as woeful single-digit public support.
This week's Realmeter survey put the party's popularity at 6.4 percent, down 0.6 percentage point from a week ago.
Rival parties have been striving to clinch a win in the race for Seoul mayor, a post seen as a springboard to the presidency -- or at least an opportunity to garner political recognition.
The prospect of the big-name politician in the race is likely to put the ruling Democratic Party on edge.
In the ruling party, a three-way competition is shaping up to get a ticket for the Seoul mayoral election. Reps. Park Young-sun and Woo Sang-ho have declared their bids for the election, while incumbent Mayor Park Won-soon has indicated his willingness to seek a third term.
The main opposition Liberty Korea Party has yet to decide on who it will field in the election. (Yonhap)
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