People Power Party to pick presidential candidate May 3

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.

“We plan to select our candidate through the party convention the day before on May 3,” Ho said, noting the deadline for public officers to resign is May 4.

A public servant running for president is required to resign at least 30 days before an election.

Registration for the candidates will take place next Monday and Tuesday.

For the upcoming primary, the PPP has introduced a new party rule that aims to ensure more fairness in polls during the primary, Ho said, referring to Myung Tae-Kyun, a self-proclaimed power broker involved in an election meddling scandal surrounding former President Yoon Suk Yeol.

“To avoid any potential allegations of unfairness in regard to polls, all campaigns are required to report their planned polls in advance to the party’s planning and coordination office,” Ho said.

The PPP has also decided not to apply the rule that requires officials to resign at least 18 months before election day in 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 go head-to-head 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 said his party strongly supports everyone registering as a candidate except for “unscrupulous people” like Lee.

“The Lee Jae-myung faction is the main culprit behind the destruction of the constitutional order that has triggered a national crisis and incited internal conflict,” Kweon said. “The upcoming presidential election should be a judgment on the Lee Jae-myung faction.”