Maneuvers stall key MDP decision

The ruling Millennium Democratic Party on Friday put off a vote on when to choose new party leaders and nominate its presidential candidate.

Representative Rhee In-je, who wants a single convention in April to handle both tasks, attempted to force the vote but was blocked by Representative Hahn Hwa-kap and the party's special reform committee. Mr. Hahn, Mr. Rhee's chief rival for the party's presidential nomination, apparently wants to avoid a vote to buy time to woo support away from Mr. Rhee.

The party charter stipulates that the party is to hold a January convention to choose party leadership and a June convention to pick its presidential nominee.

Han Kwang-ok, the party's chairman, vowed to put the proposed change to a vote by setting a Tuesday deadline, a move the reform committee said it opposes.

The party's factions clashed from the beginning of the meeting. Representative Chung Kyun-hwan, a member of a reform-minded group within the party, argued that putting the changes to a vote is reasonable since the charter is sanctioned with the consent of the majority. Representative Kim Ok-doo agreed, saying that settling the issue Friday was imperative for party reform.

Mr. Hahn left in the middle of the meeting, which he vowed on Thursday not to attend. The 18 reform committee members held a separate gathering beforehand and sent only three representatives to the meeting. The three committee members also left when Mr. Hahn stormed out.

After the smoke cleared, less than 50 party office holders, the quorum required to put the changes to a vote, remained. Mr. Han then closed the meeting and set the deadline for the vote.

The party chairman will try to win over Mr. Hahn and the reform committee during the weekend. He reportedly plans to bring Mr. Hahn to the table by offering to submit Mr. Hahn's previous proposal to permit a single candidate to run for both the party's presidential nomination and a party leadership. In that scenario the party chairmanship would go automatically to the floor leader and policy aides would be named to other top jobs.

by Kang Min-seok