Ruling People Power Party wins big in local elections

Jun 02, 2022, 09:02 am

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Members of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) including Chairman Lee Jun-seok and Floor Leader Kweon Seong-dong cheer as exit poll results appear on TV at the National Assembly in Seoul on June 1, 2022./ Photograph by Lee Byung-hwa

AsiaToday reporters Lee Seok-jong & Lee Wook-jae

The ruling People Power Party took a landslide victory in Wednesday’s local elections, as its candidates beat their opponents in most key regions. According to votes counted as of 8:13 a.m., Thursday, with more than 99 percent of votes counted nationwide on average, the PPP won 12 out of 17 races for big city mayors and provincial governors, including Seoul, while the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) won only five regions, including Gyeonggi, North and South Jeolla Provinces, Gwangju and Jeju.

With a result completely different from the local elections exactly four years ago, the people gave the newly inaugurated conservative government of President Yoon Suk-yeol an additional power to push forward with its agenda.

In capital Seoul, current Mayor Oh Se-hoon won DP candidate Song Young-gil. Oh scored 59 percent, compared to Song’s 39 percent. The PPP’s Incheon mayoral candidate, Yoo Jeong-bok won over the DP’s Park Nam-choon by securing more than 51 percent. Park’s rate was 44 percent.

In Daejeon, PPP candidate Lee Jang-woo beat his rival Heo Tae-jeong by securing 51 percent. Heo scored 48 percent. In Sejong, the PPP’s Choi Min-ho won his rival and DP candidate Lee Choon-hee with 52 percent.

The ruling PPP also took the governorships of both Chungcheong provinces, both Gyeongsang provinces, Gangwon Province, and the mayorships of the southeastern cities of Daegu, Ulsan and Busan.

The biggest battleground was Gyeonggi Province where DP candidate Kim Dong-yeon beat his PPP rival Kim Eun-hye by less than 1 percentage point.

#People Power Party #local elections #result #victory #Yoon Suk-yeol