First Official Results Expected by 9 p.m.


By Yoo Dong-ho
Staff Reporter
The nation will go to the polls on Thursday to elect 299 National Assemblymen _ 243 from electoral districts and 56 under the proportional representation system.

Each voter may cast two ballots _ one for a district candidate and the other for a proportional candidate _ at a total of 13,167 polling booths from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. across the nation. The official results of candidate votes are expected to be available by as early as 9 p.m. on Thursday night. The outcome of proportional votes are to be expected to be tallied by 11 p.m.

The elections, the first nationwide polls under the new government, are widely seen as a crucial test of the impeachment against President Roh Moo-hyun railroaded by the opposition-dominated National Assembly on March 12.

With the archrival parties _ the Uri Party and the main opposition Grand National Party _ racing neck-and-neck to secure a majority in Thursday’s polls, major broadcasters will release the results of their exit polls simultaneously after voting ends at 6 p.m.

Television broadcasters KBS and SBS formed a consortium with two survey organs to conduct exit polls. MBC has hired the Korea Research Center to do the same.

Winners of the elections are expected to be announced by around 9 p.m. due to the introduction of the electronic vote counting system, according to the National Election Commission (NEC). NEC chairman Yoo Ji-dam said, ``Fair elections are the royal road to national harmony.’’ He vowed to step up a crackdown on illegal campaigning in the lead up to Thursday’s elections.

As things stand, the Uri Party is leading in about 100 electoral districts or more while the GNP is expected to retain its hold in some 80 constituencies. Up to 50 constituencies, including 30 districts from Seoul and Kyonggi Province, are emerging as battle royals where the two rivals are in a neck-and-and tussle.

Political observers predict that the voter turnout will be around 60 percent, up from 57.2 percent in the 2000 elections. The voting rates have been drawing a falling curve since the 1987 elections hit the record high with 84.6 percent.

As the zero hour looms, major parties’ have intensified an 11th hour attempt to woo swing voters in Seoul and its vicinities since the battle royals have split the electorate right down the middle.

Uri Party chairman Chung Dong-young made a last-minute stop in Kwanghwamun, central Seoul on the eve of the polling day to ramp up the party’s charges to sway undecided votes that are estimated to be well over 30 percent.

The competition rate for the polls is at 4.8 to 1, with a total of 1,175 contenders fighting it out in 243 constituencies nationwide for Thursday’s vote.

yoodh@koreatimes.co.kr