Seoul, April 5 (IANS) – With early voting underway for the parliamentary elections in South Korea, a record high turnout has been reported. The elections are seen as a midterm referendum on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s administration amid high interest from voters.
Voters began casting their ballots at 3,565 polling stations nationwide at 6 a.m. for the two-day early voting process leading up to Wednesday’s main vote to elect a new 300-member National Assembly. The voting hours are from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
As of 1 p.m., over 3.54 million people out of 44.28 million eligible voters had already cast their votes, marking a turnout of 8 per cent. This turnout is higher compared to the 2020 general elections and is the highest recorded since the adoption of the early voting system in 2012.
The parliamentary elections hold significant importance for the ruling People Power Party (PPP) as a failure to regain a majority could potentially make President Yoon a lame duck for the remaining three years of his term. The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) aims to retain its parliamentary majority.
Both parties, PPP and DP, have called on voters to participate in the early voting, recognizing its impact on determining the final election outcome. Party leaders have visited polling stations, urging voters to exercise their rights and cast their ballots.
In a statement to reporters after voting, PPP leader Han Dong-hoon emphasized the importance of voting, stating, “If you go to the polling station, (we) win, and if you don’t go to the polling station, the Republic of Korea will fail.” DP Chairman Lee Jae-myung also stressed the public’s interest in politics and encouraged active participation in voting.
The DP aims to achieve an early voting turnout of 31.3 percent and a total turnout of 71.3 percent, assuming that a high turnout will lead to victory for the party. However, the PPP has refuted this assumption, arguing that a high turnout does not necessarily favor the DP.
A survey conducted earlier this week showed that 80 percent of respondents expressed a definite intention to cast their votes. Among those intending to vote, 39 percent plan to visit polling stations during the early voting period, while 58 percent intend to vote on Election Day next Wednesday.
