Moon to go ahead with vote of confidence

Main opposition party leader Rep. Moon Jae-in on Friday decided to go ahead with a vote of confidence from this weekend despite key members’ vehement opposition. 

The move, aimed to silence objections to the party’s reform initiatives, appeared to set off more infighting as most members of the Supreme Council condemned it as an ultimatum against nonmainstreamers.

New Politics Alliance for Democracy spokesman Kim Seong-su said during a press briefing that the vote of confidence will be held for three days on Sept. 13-15, and the results would be announced at the party’s executive council meeting Wednesday, when the party is slated to vote on the reform measures.

Moon had made a surprise announcement on Wednesday that he would leave his chairmanship if the party votes down the package of reform measures. Moon had been facing mounting pressure to resign from some party members who remained skeptical of the reform proposals and the leadership.

Moon’s vote will be conducted in two ways -- one by ARS poll among the party’s ordinary members and another by collecting approval ratings. Moon would step down if either of the votes fails to endorse him, or if the central committee turns down the reform packages.

Kim explained that a decision to hold a vote of confidence does not require approval by the Supreme Council according to the party’s regulations.

Earlier in the day, all members of the Supreme Council except for Rep. Jun Byung-hun opposed holding the confidence vote.

“The best way possible for the time being to host the nationwide convention (to replace the leadership) as it is an opportunity to consolidate the people and the party,” floor leader Rep. Lee Jong-kul said.

Former floor leader and heavyweight member Rep. Park Jie-won called Moon’s decision “self-righteous” and that it was not acceptable.

“(Moon) is basically forcing a choice between becoming pro-Moon or anti-Moon,” Park wrote on Twitter, suggesting instead to decide on how to seek Moon’s confidence through a formal decision-making process.

The NPAD has been engulfed in tit-for-tat over the reform proposals that include ways to have an electoral committee of nonparty members to nominate candidates for the next parliamentary elections in April. The panel also suggests offering extra points to fresh figures, women and the handicapped in the nomination process.

From news reports