Seoul: The People Power Party (PPP) announced Wednesday it will hold a party convention next month to finalize its candidate for the June 3 presidential election. The PPP's election committee confirmed the date during a meeting earlier in the day, according to PPP spokesperson Ho Jun-seok.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the PPP plans to select its candidate through the party convention on May 3, with the deadline for public officers to resign set for May 4. A public servant running for president is required to resign at least 30 days before an election, and registration for candidates will take place next Monday and Tuesday.
For the upcoming primary, the PPP has introduced a new party rule aimed at ensuring fairness in polls. Ho Jun-seok referred to Myung Tae-Kyun, a self-proclaimed power broker involved in an election meddling scandal surrounding former President Yoon Suk Yeol. To avoid potential allegations of unfairness, all campaigns are required to report their planned polls in advance to the party's planning and coordination office.
The PPP has also decided not to enforce the rule requiring officials to resign at least 18 months before election day for this primary, allowing former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon to enter the race. Han, who was elected party leader last July, stepped down in December.
The PPP's chosen candidate is expected to compete with former Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung, a front-runner for the upcoming presidential election who announced his resignation from the party leadership earlier in the day to apparently run for president.
During a press conference at the National Assembly, PPP floor leader Kweon Seong-dong expressed the party's strong support for everyone registering as a candidate except for individuals like Lee, whom he described as "unscrupulous." Kweon criticized the Lee Jae-myung faction, accusing it of being the main culprit behind the destruction of the constitutional order and triggering a national crisis. He stated that the upcoming presidential election should serve as a judgment on the Lee Jae-myung faction.