People Power Party to File Election Appeals in 9 Regions: What Are the Chances of a Re-election?

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The People Power Party (PPP) plans to file election appeals tomorrow, June 17, regarding local elections in nine cities and provinces across the country, citing issues such as voting disruptions. However, experts say the likelihood of a re-election is low, as it requires proof that election management regulations were violated and that such violations significantly impacted the final results.

Reporter Kim Kwan-jin has the story.

[Reporter]

The People Power Party has identified nine cities and provinces for its election appeals: Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon, Busan, Ulsan, Gwangju, North Chungcheong, Daegu, and South Gyeongsang.

While the party announced six regions yesterday, it added North Chungcheong, Daegu, and South Gyeongsang today.

The party argues that the voting rights of citizens were infringed upon in eight of these regions due to shortages of ballots and delays in the voting process.

Separately, in the case of North Chungcheong Province, the party claims that an electoral register was missing at a polling station in Cheongju.

According to data from the National Election Commission (NEC), voting disruptions occurred in five cities and provinces on June 3.

Voting was suspended at 26 polling stations nationwide, with Seoul accounting for the highest number at 22, followed by one each in Gyeonggi, Incheon, Daegu, and Busan.

However, the People Power Party has also included Ulsan, Gwangju, North Chungcheong, and South Gyeongsang in its appeal, despite these regions not being officially recorded as having experienced "voting disruptions."

Election appeals can be filed by voters in the affected regions, political parties such as the People Power Party, or the candidates themselves.

The NEC is required to reach a decision on an appeal within 60 days.

If an election is declared invalid, a re-election must be held within 30 days.

Conversely, if an appeal is dismissed or rejected, the party can file an election invalidation lawsuit within 10 days to challenge the decision.

So, what are the criteria for deciding whether to hold a re-election following an appeal?

Article 224 of the Public Official Election Act states that an election, in whole or in part, can only be declared invalid if there is evidence of a violation of election regulations and if it is determined that such a violation affected the outcome of the election.

In other words, even if a violation occurred, a re-election will not be ordered unless the violation was significant enough to potentially change the winner.

Furthermore, the NEC stated shortly after the incidents that the situation did not meet the criteria for a re-election.

This is why many observers believe it is unlikely that the NEC will decide to hold re-elections for the gubernatorial or mayoral races.

However, some analysts suggest that the outcome could differ for elections involving heads of local governments or local council members, where the vote margins are often much smaller.

(Video Editing: Wi Won-yang, Graphics: Park Cheon-woong and Jeon Yu-geun)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.