Possibility of Election Appeals Leading to Re-elections? Experts Say "Unlikely"

[Anchor]

The People Power Party is set to file election appeals today (June 17) regarding local elections in nine cities and provinces across the country, citing issues such as the suspension of voting. The key factors in determining whether a re-election will be held are whether election management regulations were violated and whether such violations affected the final results. The prevailing view is that the possibility of a re-election is low.

Reporter Kim Gwan-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.

North Chungcheong, Daegu, and South Gyeongsang were added to the list.

The party argues that the voting rights of citizens were undermined in eight of these regions, including Seoul, due to shortages of ballots and delays in the voting process.

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

According to data from the National Election Commission, voting was suspended in five cities and provinces on the 3rd.

Across the country, voting was halted at 26 polling stations, with Seoul accounting for the highest number at 22, while Gyeonggi, Incheon, Daegu, and Busan each recorded one instance.

However, the People Power Party has also included Ulsan, Gwangju, North Chungcheong, and South Gyeongsang in its appeals, even though "voting suspension" was not officially recorded in those regions.

Election appeals can be filed by voters in the relevant regions, political parties like the People Power Party, and the candidates themselves.

The National Election Commission must reach a decision on an appeal within 60 days.

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

On the other hand, if an appeal is dismissed or rejected, the party can file an election nullification lawsuit within 10 days to challenge the decision.

So, what criteria are used to determine whether a re-election will be held following an appeal?

Article 224 of the Public Official Election Act stipulates that a decision to invalidate all or part of an election can only be made if there is a proven violation of election regulations and if it is acknowledged that such a violation affected the election results.

In other words, even if there were violations, a re-election will not be ordered unless the outcome of the election would have been different.

Furthermore, the National Election Commission already stated shortly after the incident that the situation did not constitute grounds for a re-election.

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

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

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