 Former Prime Minister |
Staff Reporter
Former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook will declare her bid for the candidacy for mayor of Seoul in the June 2 elections, today, an aide said Tuesday.
Han, 66, is the only person who enjoys double-digit support among mayoral hopefuls in the opposition camps.
Observers say she will likely win the ticket of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) for the race whether the party runs a primary or not, due to a wide gap in popularity with her rivals.
Some DP lawmakers, including Rep. Lee Mi-kyung, say the party should pick Han as its Seoul candidate without having a primary, claiming that doing so would boost the chance of the party winning in the upcoming election.
``Considering that she is far ahead of other candidates, it would be wise for the party to quickly choose its candidate and prepare for the main race,'' Lee said.
However, other DP aspirants, including Rep. Kim Sung-soon who declared his bid last November, claim that a primary is a must for selecting candidates and such intraparty competition will help promote the party's candidates and their policies.
Han's campaign pledges will be focused on improving education and child care, along with job creation, her aides said.
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