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South Korean candidates begin registering for polls

A candidate for South Korea's general election bows to supporters at a shelter for the elderly in Seoul yesterday. PHOTO: AFP

Candidates began registering yesterday for South Korea's general election, with President Lee Myung-bak seeking a parliamentary majority for his economic reforms despite deep splits in his party.

Victory in the April 9 polls seemed assured for Lee's conservative Grand National Party (GNP) when voters gave him a record winning margin over his liberal rival in the December presidential election.

But polls show support for the GNP falling after Lee's government got off to a shaky start. His party has been torn by fierce factional fighting over nominations for parliamentary seats.

Many respondents in one poll were also wary of giving one party too much power.

Last month, before a series of breakaways by members who failed to secure nominations, the GNP had 130 seats in the 299-member National Assembly compared with 135 for the liberal United Democratic Party.

Lee, who pledges to revitalize the world's 13th-largest economy through tax cuts, deregulation and privatization, needs a GNP majority to pass sweeping reforms.

But hopes of a landslide victory dimmed after his popular party rival Park Geun-hye announced she would not campaign for GNP candidates in protest at the exclusion of many of her own supporters from the nomination list.

At least 18 ex-GNP lawmakers, mostly Park's supporters, will run as independents after bolting from the party. There is one more day of nominations.

Analysts said the GNP is still expected to win, but not to win by much.

"Though damaged by the factional feuding and the breakaways, the GNP is likely to manage to secure a majority in the upcoming election," said Chun In-young, a political science professor at Seoul National University.

Park Kie-duck, of private think tank the Sejong Institute, agreed.

"A chunk of Lee's [former] supporters are said to have turned their backs on the GNP, but no good alternatives exist," Park said. "The liberals have been picking up after their defeat in the presidential election, but not powerfully enough to dominate the general election."

Campaigning starts tomorrow. A total of 299 parliamentary seats are at stake -- 245 to be elected by constituencies and the remaining 54 to be filled by proportional representation.

Election authorities expect some 1,300 candidates.
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