Uri Party chair continues to mull reform of parties, constitution

Chung Dong-young, chairman of the ruling Uri Party,may face uphill battlle after local eletcions.

Ruling party faces tough choices after elections

Chung Dong-young, chairman of the ruling Uri Party, mentioned a possible reshaping of the political landscape following the May 31 local elections, in which his party is expected to suffer a crushing defeat.

Mr. Chung, in a May 26 interview with MBC radio, said, "I think people who are opposed to the conservative Grand National Party are expecting to cooperate and form an alliance," alluding to the combination of reformist political parties into one larger bloc. Mr. Chung stressed the necessity of such an alliance while working the campaign trail May 24 in Gwangyang, Southern Jeolla province. He also spoke there about possibly amending the constitution. But the week prior, Mr. Chung was quoted as saying it was too early to delve deeply into such matters.

Both liberal and conservative parties have discussed changing the constitution so that the terms of parliament and presidency coincide, and so that the president may serve more than one term; as it stands, they say, there is political instability written into the constitution.

However, there are some voices within the Uri Party that say it is not desirable to mention political reconfiguration ahead of the elections. They see the discussions as aready conceding defeat, and also fear the public will think they are manipulating the political arena for their own gain.

With his recent mention of the possible changes, observers said, Mr. Chung may also be making preparations to maintain his leadership of the party after the regional elections. An official in Chung’s camp denied this, saying, "Chairman Chung had talked about constitutional amendment or unity of democratic force long before this."

Many wonder whether Mr. Chung will still be able to fill his party’s central role after the local elections. A party official said, "Even if we suffer a crushing defeat in the local elections, we can’t lay the blame solely on Mr. Chung." However, the official said Mr. Chung’s political momentum would suffer. "Mr. Chung will have to make a really serious political decision," he said.

Mr. Chung’s decisions include whether to form his coalition of reformist-aligned party members, raise the constitutional amendment issue, and run for by-elections after resigning as party chairman. He had previously declared he would not run for elections again.

Mr. Chung was circumspect about the path he might take. "After the elections, I will behave prudently," Mr. Chung said in the radio interview, "and according to careful judgment."