Democratic Party to Vote on Charter Amendment Reducing Influence of Rank-and-File Members in Elections
The Democratic Party (DP) will put a charter amendment to a final vote before its Central Committee on December 15. The amendment would reduce the weight of votes cast by dues-paying party members in the selection of proportional representation candidates for local assembly seats, from 100% to 50%. Despite DP leader Lee Jae-myung's strong push for the change, some within the party are resisting, making the outcome of the vote one to watch.
The core of the amendment is a revised method for determining the ranking of proportional representation candidates for both metropolitan and local assemblies: a 50% weighting of votes from standing committee members and a 50% weighting of votes from dues-paying members. This is a change from the existing system where dues-paying members alone cast the votes. The DP leadership initially pursued a charter amendment that maintained a 100% voting weight for dues-paying members, but the Central Committee rejected the proposal on December 5. At the time, Central Committee members reportedly voiced concerns about giving too much weight to the votes of dues-paying members.
In response, the DP leadership collected feedback within the party and drafted a revised amendment that lowered the weighting of dues-paying member votes to 50%. The inclusion of standing committee votes is seen as an attempt to reflect a wider range of opinions in the party's decision-making structure. If the revised charter amendment passes the Central Committee, it will be implemented immediately, starting with the local elections scheduled for 2026. The DP expects that this charter amendment will strengthen the fairness and representativeness of the process for selecting proportional representation candidates for local assemblies. However, some within the party remain critical of reducing the voting weight of dues-paying members. Some members are voicing concerns that the views of dues-paying members may not be adequately reflected, and they are resisting the leadership's decision.
They argue that the charter amendment could weaken the party's democratic decision-making system. Despite this resistance, DP leader Lee Jae-myung has reportedly emphasized the need for the charter amendment and expressed his intention to push forward with it. It is said that Lee intends to use the charter amendment to lead innovation and change within the party and to lay the foundation for victory in the 2026 local elections. The Central Committee vote on the charter amendment is scheduled to take place on the morning of December 15. As the core body responsible for making key decisions for the party, the outcome of this vote is expected to have a significant impact on the DP's future direction. A DP official stated, "We expect the Central Committee to approve this amendment smoothly, as it is a revision that was drafted after sufficiently gathering opinions within the party." However, with resistance still present within the party, some predict that it is difficult to predict the final outcome of the vote.
If the charter amendment passes the Central Committee, the DP will face a major change in the way it selects proportional representation candidates ahead of the 2026 local elections. This is expected to affect other political parties as well, and it is anticipated that discussions about proportional representation candidate selection methods will be actively held throughout the Korean political landscape in the future. DP leadership member Chung Cheong-rae explained that the background for pushing this amendment was "to expand democracy within the party and to gather diverse opinions." He also added, "It is part of an innovation to gain the support of the people in the 2026 local elections." The political world is focusing on what changes this attempt to amend the DP's charter will bring to the future Korean political landscape, and what impact it will have on the results of the 2026 local elections.
