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| ▲ Voters cast their ballots in early voting for the by-election of Gangseo Ward office chief at a polling station in Seoul on Oct. 6, 2023. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Main opposition Democratic Party candidate Jin Kyo-hoon casts his ballot in early voting of the by-election for the Gangseo Ward office chief in Seoul on Oct. 6, 2023. (Yonhap) |
by-election-early voting
Early voting kicks off in by-election for Gangseo Ward chief
By Kang Jae-eun
SEOUL, Oct. 6 (Yonhap) -- Early voting kicked off Friday for next week's by-election for the chief of Seoul's Gangseo Ward office that is seen as a key test of voter sentiment ahead of next year's parliamentary elections.
Voters started casting their ballots at 6 a.m. at the district's 20 polling stations in the early voting set to run until Saturday evening to choose the next ward office chief among six candidates. The main voting day is Wednesday next week.
Turnout was 1.09 percent as of 9 a.m., according to the National Election Commission.
The election is to pick only one of Seoul's 25 ward chiefs, but it carries extra weight as it is considered a bellwether of how the ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) will fare in April's general elections.
The candidates were reduced to six after one dropped out on the eve of early voting, but it is largely a two-way race between the PPP and the DP. The PPP candidate is former Gangseo Ward office chief Kim Tae-woo while his DP rival is Jin Kyo-hoon, a former deputy chief of national police.
The by-election takes place after Kim was removed from the post in May due to a suspended prison sentence given to him for leaking official secrets he gained when working for a special inspection team under the presidential office during the previous administration.
Kim calls himself a whistleblower, arguing that the disclosure was for the public good.
The PPP has named Kim as their candidate after he was reinstated of his right to run in the election, following a special presidential pardon in August.
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