A direct election system for district chapter heads, introduced by People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk's leadership under the banner of "party member sovereignty," has fallen into crisis amid disputes over procedural fairness. The slogan Jang shouted at Olympic Park after ballot shortages in the local elections — "fraudulent election, hold it again" — is now being echoed inside his own party.
According to political sources on the 14th, the PPP's Special Committee on Organizational Strengthening confirmed that automated response system calls had failed to reach some registered party members during the previous day's runoff vote for the Yongin-A organization committee chair, and decided to hold a revote on the 18th. Although the two candidates involved agreed to accept the outcome, Jang ordered the revote, calling it "a matter of electoral fairness."
Despite the leadership's decision, demands within the party for a fact-finding investigation and a full revote have not subsided. Since Jang had called for a special counsel probe and nationwide revoting over what he described as infringements of voting rights in the local elections, party members argue the same standard should apply to internal elections.
Kim Jong-hyuk, a former supreme council member aligned with Han Dong-hoon, raised allegations of election irregularities in the Namyangju-B organization committee chair race in a Facebook post the same day. He claimed that three of five applicants were cut and that only two city council members close to supreme council member Cho Kwang-han competed in the primary. "The leader appoints the head of the Yeouido Institute, and the primary is run there, so the secretary-general of the leader's fan club and an associate of a supreme council member won," he wrote. "It is a scheme to cut out lawmakers and chapter heads who are not pro-Jang Dong-hyuk."
Supreme council member Yang Hyang-ja also wrote on Facebook that day that "the direct election system requires an accurate assessment of how the electorate was composed and how the voting was conducted," urging the party to "clearly disclose the specific criteria applied in the primaries."
With a year and a half remaining before the next general election, the leadership's burden is expected to grow as internal calls for revoting mount. Observers say, however, that the leadership is unlikely to accept a full revote.