People Power Party 'four-term' lawmaker Lee Heon-seung (Busan Busanjin-gu) officially declared his candidacy for the party whip election on the 14th. With Lee's candidacy, this party whip election will be contested as a three-way race alongside 'three-term' lawmakers Kim Seong-won and Song Eon-seok.
Lawmaker Lee, a former parliamentary aide, has served four consecutive terms from the 19th to the 22nd in Busanjin-gu. He has held the positions of party representative secretary general and chair of the National Assembly's defense committee, and he is currently the chair of the party's national committee. He is evaluated as having a moderate stance with little factional bias within the party.
Lawmaker Lee declared on that day, 'As a whip for everyone, I will create a rational and strong People Power Party,' and added, 'I will take the lead in the party's unification and reform.' He emphasized the urgency of intra-party unity by stating, 'Due to divisions between factions, we might cross an irreversible river of separation.'
Lawmaker Lee assessed that he has taken on various roles whenever the party needed, maintaining a neutral stance that is not tied to any faction.
He emphasized his legislative experience with key party positions such as chairman of the Busan city party, secretary general for the opposition party leader, head of the presidential campaign headquarters, and chair of the National Assembly's land and transportation committee and defense committee, stating, 'I will run again with the spirit of putting the party before personal interests.'
He presented key pledges including: ▲ the dissolution of factions within the party and the re-establishment of democracy ▲ the establishment of a centrist unification system ▲ the introduction of a bottom-up nomination system ▲ the development of a winning strategy for local elections through analysis of the causes of presidential election defeat ▲ strengthening negotiation power between ruling and opposition parties ▲ evolving into a policy-focused party centered on people's livelihoods ▲ nurturing future generations.
Lawmaker Lee emphasized, 'This party whip election is a crucial crossroads deciding whether our party will be divided or unified,' stating, 'I will walk with the people without lining up. I will only look at the people.'
The People Power Party will accept candidate registration applications for the next party whip election until 5 p.m. on the same day. Candidates must prepare documents such as the application for candidacy, a pledge for fair elections, and an application for election agents, along with a deposit of 20 million won. The party whip election date is set for the 16th.